


Red Ink: Human Versus Squid

by Shimmer_Bolt



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Adventure, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Human, Mystery, Post-Splatoon 2, Romance, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 72,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25192855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shimmer_Bolt/pseuds/Shimmer_Bolt
Summary: Ten thousand years is a long time to take a nap. Amelia, a fourteen-year-old human girl, has lived in Inkopolis for four years since she left her cryopod. Her brother, having promised to be beside her when she woke up, is missing. Her parents are long gone, and the only one to look after her is a very stressed sea anemone.Having fallen in love with the sport of turf wars, Amelia has snuck out to participate in a match, despite the warnings from her caretaker. Will she forever suck at the game, being unable to go squid? Will she ever find her brother? Will she ever be allowed to reveal her identity without risk of being dissected by a psychotic inkling scientist?Find out in this unusual tale of Human VS Squid.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	1. Should I Die Before I Wake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia is in big trouble now that she's snuck out.

_Turf war: A battle over territory by spraying as much of the ground as possible with your team's ink color. Ever since I first saw the sport on television, I've been enamoured with it. The adrenaline, the bright colors, the fast-paced action, it was enough to get my blood pumping. I vowed to get in on the action, whether I was allowed to or not._

There was a Dynamo Roller on my left and a Blaster on my right. I was trapped, but a good fighter keeps her wits about her. I held my Splattershot Jr. tightly, a gun that's mostly used by newbies, but I wasn't about to let this detail phase me. I jumped backwards, firing my weapon in the direction of the blaster weapon.

He quickly shrunk into the form of a squid, diving into his own ink, and uh... I lost him. I looked around frantically, firing my weapon at the ink, replacing its green color with the purple reserves in my tank. Where was he...? I couldn't find him at all. He had to be in this ink _somewhere_.

"Newbie! Move your butt!" an angry voice shouted, confusing me. _Move? Why?_ That's when I remembered... I forgot the roller. I turned around to see it. Closing my eyes, scared, I screamed. I thought this was it for me, but instead of getting ran over by the giant paint roller, I was pushed out of the way, a splatting noise filling my ears a second later. One of my teammates had sacrificed himself for me.

The whistle rang, and that was it. The game had ended, and I already knew the score. We had lost. I heard footsteps in the ink behind me, and I turned around to see him, the one who had pushed me out of the way.

He had brown-toned skin, and his haircut was rather weird, a bowl cut style. To accompany that style was a beret, purple from his ink color, his black v-neck t-shirt, black shorts, flip-flops, and his leather fingerless gloves. His yellow eyes looked me over, and then he gave me an odd look, as if he were disgusted with me. "Geez... You newbies. Why didn't you go squid?"

I knew the answer, sadly, but I couldn't tell him. "I um... I forgot what to do," I lied.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hm... I guess that's an okay explanation," he said. "Bet you were pretty scared of messing up. I used to be like that. Just gotta practice. When I first started out, I sometimes messed up this form. Ever have six fingers? Feels pretty weird."

I laughed as genuinely as I possibly could, nervous. I wasn't supposed to be out here, but... I couldn't resist proving a certain someone wrong. "No, I haven't," I replied.

"Yeah, it's pretty freaky," he said. "Anyways, I gotta go. Next turf war is starting at the Sturgeon Shipyard. You comin'? I can show ya the ropes."

I was about to say yes when my watch suddenly beeped. "I'm sorry," I said. "I gotta go, too. Um... Maybe meet up later sometime? Do you have a number?"

"Way ahead of ya," he said, taking a blue smartphone-like device from his pocket. Here, they call them squidphones, oddly enough. I took my pink squidphone out as well and we tapped them against each other, transferring numbers. It was a very convenient feature they had, and the squidphones even had a databank of information on other competitors if those competitors allowed their info to be shared.

Looking at my screen, his alias immediately came up as Ace, which made me wonder if it was his real name or if it was the name he chose when he first started participating in turf wars. He looked down at his own screen and commented, "Amelia, huh? Nice name."

"Thank you," I said. "I'll meet you later!" I shouted as I began running out of the Kelp Dome, a place normally used to grow plants in. How these inklings were allowed to have their games in here astounded me.

It took me hours, but I finally made it home. After sneaking through alleyways, making sure I wasn't seen by a certain someone, a certain someone who I knew would be furious if they had found out I snuck my way into a turf war. Climbing up the apartment stairsteps, I made my way to Room 208. Reaching under the mat, I grabbed the spare key and, just as I was about to stand back up to unlock the door, it opened.

"I knew it. I _knew_ it!" an electronic-like, but not monotone voice said. It was Nem-Nem. She's basically a humanoid version of an anemone, and she's very protective of me. Of course, she's not as bad as she seems. She just gets worried whenever I'm out without her. Having lived in Inkopolis for four years, I've gained many fond memories with her.

Even if those memories were mostly indoors.

"Nem-Nem! You're back early!" I said, surprised. She told me earlier she'd probably be out shopping all day, but it was only noon.

"You _promised_ not to do this! Get inside!" Nem-Nem shouted, her pearlescent, milky white pupils staring at me with anger. She was so pretty, it was hard to take her seriously most of the time, but I did my best to listen to her. Her tentacle hair was straightening out from her fury, the shiny purplish surface reflecting light in such a way that it was often mesmerizing. It even complimented her light blue skin.

"Sorry, Nem-Nem," I said.

"Sorry, _MA'AM_ ," she corrected.

"Sorry, ma'am," I responded, looking down. Her voice was so weird, too. It always sounded like a robot, but always glitching, making it not as monotone as one would expect it to sound.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Nem-Nem complained.

"Come inside," she said, grabbing my arm. She very gently guided me in, taking me directly into the living room. For a small apartment, it was still a comfortable place to live. As I sat down on the couch, she sat in her chair, adjacent from me. "You could've gotten hurt," she said. She grabbed my arm and lifted it, looking at the Splattershot Jr. "Is this a shooter?!" Nem-Nem shrieked.

As she took the shooter away from me, I looked at the mirror across from me on the wall. My eyes, green as grass, were the only things I actually liked about myself. My dusty blonde hair barely stuck out from under my cap. I really needed to get it cut again. By now, Nem-Nem was a wiz with scissors. I never really liked my hair color. It could never be as bright as the colors in this world.

"I... I can take care of myself!" I said without full assurance. Nem-Nem was right. I could get hurt out there. That roller almost got me, and I can't come back like the inklings.

"Uh huh," Nem-Nem replied sarcastically. "And I suppose you can go squid, too!"

I stayed quiet. I had no argument against her. I'd seen them on television. Those inklings, they were something else. They had no bones, no fear, extreme flexibility and the ability to hide in their own ink. I was a human, someone who had bones to break, and I certainly wasn't as flexible. And to transform? That was a trait I could never hope to possess.

Suddenly, a sea of doubt was drowning my very being. I held back my tears as best I could. "But I can't stay inside all the time!" I choked out. For four years, I've been kept mostly inside, only allowed out with Nem-Nem by my side while wearing a good enough hat to hide my hair. I took mine off, looking at the brand name on it. It read 'Skalop', and it was a very efficient cap, allowing me to keep my hair hidden.

Although I used to have long hair, I had to have it cut in order to keep any from falling out of place. As for why it was such a big deal... A voice on the television answered that question, reminding me of why I had to keep hidden.

The reporter's voice on the television became more coherent as I focused on it. "...discussing various topics, including extinct species, such as monkeys, gorillas, and even humans. Tell me, Dr. Scalpel, why do you have such an obsession with humans, and how do you intend on reviving them when there is no complete DNA sequence to even sort through?"

The camera focused on a very scary-looking Doctor, his hair being made up of a mismatched assortment of white and black tentacles, and his eyes were bloodshot, making him look as if he hadn't slept in days. "Clearly," he said, "I'll _find_ one. If Judd, our beloved turf war judge, came from a freezing coffin, then I have no doubt there are more with other animals inside, maybe some coffins even holding a human!"

"And why would you even want to revive one?" the pink-tentacled reporter asked. "Their intelligence is said to be limited compared to ours."

Dr. Scalpel's gray eyes stared at the reporter through his wireframe glasses, looking insulted. "I believe there to be bias in our studies," he said. "Only true intellects can separate fact from personal opinion."

The reporter giggled. "And do you intend to dissect one? That's what you do, don't you? I've heard wacky stories of you doing stuff like that."

"Well, they don't call me Dr. Scalpel for _nothing_ ," the scientist replied.

I winced at his cold tone. Nem-Nem, upon seeing my discomfort, stood up, then went over, turning off the television. She then approached me and sat next to me on the couch, pulling me into a hug. I didn't do anything. I just stood still. I felt a mixture of bad emotions: sadness, uncertainty, even a tiny hint of anger at my own situation.

"Nem-Nem, I've been inside for the longest time," I whispered, fighting back tears. "I can't stay in here forever."

Nem-Nem loosened her grip, then said to me, "Amelia. You know that I only want what's best for you. Ever since I was entrusted with you, I've been trying my hardest to keep you safe. I know you want to be outside, and I know you want to compete in turf wars."

I waited for the 'but' in her sentence.

"And I think it's finally time I let you," she said, much to my surprise. I looked up at her, and she looked back with a small smile. "I'm sorry... I've just been really scared of losing you."

"Y-You're really letting me do it?" I stammered out.

"Yes," she said, looking uncertain. "That's why I was out today. I was getting you a proper disguise."

"A proper disguise?" I repeated. She actually went out of her way to get me a better disguise? "But why now?"

She sighed, and then looked me in the eyes, her expression stern as she tried to battle her own feelings. "Well... inklings generally start participating around the age of fourteen, and considering your birthday was last month, I had a mental battle with myself. I didn't want to lose you, but I know you've been wanting this for a long time."

My heart nearly skipped a beat. This was the day I'd become an active competitor. "But aren't you supposed to be mad at me?" I asked, a little confused at her sudden change in behavior.

 _"I am,"_ she answered, her eyes narrowing as she gave me an unapproving look. Nem-Nem could be scary sometimes. "You don't get dessert tonight."

_!!!_

Having lived with Nem-Nem, there was one thing I absolutely loved more than anything else, and that was Nem-Nem's homemade desserts. One wouldn't be able to tell at first glance, but Nem-Nem was actually a very skilled pastry chef, and it was a job that paid her well, considering inklings and other creatures of the deep loved culinary treats just as much as humans once did.

"N-No, Nem-Nem, please!" I begged. I had admittedly become addicted to sweets during my time here, and it was a habit I'd need to break later, but now...?

"Sorry," Nem-Nem replied, "but I won't stand for it. You snuck out, and you could've gotten hurt very badly. I nearly had a heart attack when I found out."

I frowned, giving her the best puppy-eyed look I could. "Please?" I whimpered.

"No," she said firmly. I couldn't win, and so I just gave up.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"You should be," she said. "Now stay here, I'll be back."

After she left the room, I thought back to when I had first arrived here. I was around nine or ten at the time, and I was very scared, having just woken up from a cryopod. A cryopod is a means to prolong the body, to keep it frozen until a specific amount of time passes. For me, it was ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years ago, my father, an American scientist, was working for a very special organization in Japan. He was in charge of overseeing the cryopods that would be used for their president and a small troop of soldiers.

Times were difficult, and I often remember the times my mother would yell at dad. She was always angry with him, but she was also very stressed. I couldn't really understand much except that the water was rising slowly every day. We were on the brink of extinction according to him.

During those days, my older brother and I were very close. We'd play so many of our little made-up games. I miss the times when we used to pick up old sticks on the shore and pretend to be pirates.

I guess you could also call him a nerd at times, as he would often read dad's books over and over, front-to-back. He was obsessed with science, and dad would spend all week with him, teaching him everything he knew, leaving only the weekend for my brother and I to play together.

Finally, the day had arrived. My father had brought me along with him, but not before making me say goodbye to mom. She was very upset, and she was crying very heavily. Although I didn't know it at the time, I know now. She knew what was going to happen. After our heartfelt goodbye, my brother and I went with dad to the research facility.

_There were two pods for my brother and I..._

I was sobbing hysterically. I didn't want to leave my dad. I didn't want to leave my home. My dad hugged me tight and told me my brother would be there when I woke up, and so would dad.

_It was a lie._

Dad never went with us. He had to operate the controls, as there was no automated process. My brother went in first to show me it was safe. And then it was my turn.

_It was cold._

The pod closed after I entered. I tried to remain calm, but I couldn't. I was too scared. I pathetically pounded on the seal with my small fists. Dad was calm, and he was smiling, and even though he was, I could see tears dripping down his cheeks. He typed at the computer and I could hear a beeping in my pod. An icy blue gas of some sorts. I could feel my body going numb, my heart rate slowing down, my thoughts barely coherent. My last thoughts were of mom. What would she do when dad came back?

_And so I slept._

It felt really odd to sleep for ten thousand years. It felt really short, and I had to admit, I did have a few nice dreams, dreams of my brother and I playing together on the shore like we always did. It was almost as if I had never entered the pod.

_And I awoke once more._

My pod was found by an archaeologist ten thousand years later, and although they couldn't care for me, they knew someone who would, and that was Nem-Nem. Although the archaeologist visits once a month, it was Nem-Nem who I formed a bond with.

I remember when I first met her. Her odd hair really scared me at the time, and at night, I'd lock the door, just to keep her out in case she would've tried to hurt me. At the time, I couldn't understand their language. It was all so foreign, and so I was still afraid they were going to do something bad to me. Because of this, I was always very wary of Nem-Nem.

_Boy, was I wrong about her..._

We eventually got to know each other that following month. I was out shopping with her one day and, to be honest, I got lost in the Inkopolis Plaza. I was really worried, freaking out a little.

All the alien creatures I saw terrified me. I couldn't stay around any of them, fearful of them attacking. Eventually I stayed in an alleyway, hiding from the rest of the public. It was there that she found me again. I tried not to let her see me cry, but then...

_She held me like mom did._

She had wrapped her arms around me, holding me like mom did whenever I cried. From then on, I stuck by Nem-Nem, never leaving her side. I looked up to her for protection, fearful of this strange new world.

Over the next four years, she'd teach me the inkling language. Although it was difficult, I inevitably got the hang of it. It was soon that I'd be speaking at the same rate as any other sea creature. Though I still do mess up my wording from time to time.

As for that archeologist... He's a bit of an odd one. He only comes by once a month to check how I've grown. Afterwards he just leaves, mumbling something under his breath. When I could finally speak their language fluently, he explained that I was to be kept secret, that he knew of a community of scientists who would do anything to get their hands on a human or any other extinct mammal. Dr. Scalpel was one of those scientists, so it was very clear why I had to remain hidden.

I was suddenly snapped out of my train of thought as Nem-Nem came back with two paper bags. She reached into one and pulled out what looked to be a beanie and a cloth mask.

"What is that?" I asked.

"This is what the squid kids call a Sneaky Beanie." Nem-Nem explained. "It's got one main ability chip attached to it."

An ability chip was a special piece of inkling tech that would somehow increase a user's abilities in some way, shape, or form. It didn't matter what species it was or what weapon they were using. As long as the chip was properly installed into a piece of clothing, it would improve performance.

"What kind of chip is it?" I excitedly asked, a grin on my face.

Nem-Nem looked inside the beanie. "Oh. It's a, uh, Sub Power-Up. What's that for, splat bombs?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "Sub Power-Ups can help strengthen smaller stuff like splat bombs, curler bombs, and other sub weapons." I was such a nerd when it came to inkling weaponry. I did everything I could to study their rules, their previous splatfests, even the competitors and their history.

"I want you to keep your gear on at all times, okay?" Nem-Nem warned. "Those ink shots can hurt you, you know. Remember last year?"

I did remember. There was an incident last year where I was pelted by several ink blobs coming from a Kensa Splattershot. From what I recall, they were much like being hit with the paintballs my brother used to have laying around. I remember back when he let me use his old paintball gun. It was hard to handle, but it felt exhilarating just to shoot it.

Nem-Nem handed me what appeared to be a regular grape-colored t-shirt. This... wasn't what I was expecting. "Um, Nem-Nem? Is this really compatible with the ability chips?" I asked.

"Huh?" Nem-Nem looked at the shirt. "Yeah? Why wouldn't it be?"

I looked closer, then saw two small circular slots inside the collar, a perfect fit for an ability chip. One of them had already been fitted with an ink saver ability chip. That must have been the main chip for this particular bit of gear. "Oh," I said. "So it is."

And then, she brought out what I never would've expected. A pair of Toni Kensa Black Hi-Tops, one of the most expensive brands. I stared at her, a look of shock on my face. She smiled back. "Didja really think I'd let you go out there without proper protection?" Nem-Nem asked.

"B-But this is 3-star gear!" I exclaimed, my smile finally appearing and catching up with the rest of me. "How did you get these?!"

"Oh, just a friend from college," Nem-Nem said. "He owed me for something I did for him a while back during finals week, the little cheater."

"W-Wow!" I shouted happily. I was bouncing up and down, excited to have my first set of gear. Most inklings would've had to have entered a few turf wars before being able to purchase this stuff. Wait... "Nem-Nem? Were you in a turf war?"

Nem-Nem blinked, surprised by my question. "Well, when I was younger, yeah. I grew out of it after a while because it just wasn't really my thing."

"Well, why not?" I asked.

"It just isn't. Too much going on at once, and it tends to really get to a person," she explained. "I still don't know how these kids keep up so well." Nem-Nem then looked me in the eyes and smiled. "You got this, okay?"

I nodded, then yawned, looking down at all the gear. This was, without a doubt, the happiest day of my life, and I couldn't have asked for anything more than this. _Except maybe my brother._

That was another thing... When I woke up, the lab was in such a bad state, with everything having been covered by plantlife. The pod next to me was empty, my brother missing. I begged the strange archaeologist to help, but he didn't understand me at the time. When I could finally speak to him, he said the pod was overrun with vines when he got there, meaning my brother was gone for a long time.

I still wanted to find out what happened to him. Maybe now, since I could go out with this disguise, I could do more research. I looked up at Nem-Nem, giving her a sad little smile, then yawned again.

"Alright, it's bedtime," she said, grabbing my arm. I wanted to object, but to tell the truth, I _was_ very tired. She gently led me to my room in the east part of the house. It was small, but cozy, with posters of turf war competitors all over the wall. Nem-Nem led me to my bed, then tucked me in.

I looked up at her, her eyes and tentacle hair glowing in the dark. Her hair was such a brilliant purple, and the light would pulse slowly, almost entrancingly at times. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. "Goodnight, Nem-Nem."

She patted my head. "Goodnight, Amelia. Sleep tight, okay?"

I nodded, and she got up, leaving the room. Before she closed the door, she looked at me one more time with the same warm smile. The door then closed, and I was left by myself in the dark, sleep taking me over.


	2. Dreams of a Dreamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia's day as a competitor seems to be more than what she expected it to be.

_Dreams aren't only for those who sleep. There's a waking world waiting for yours. - Iso Padre_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

I was floating in darkness. I didn't know exactly where I was until I saw bubbles drifting up from beneath me, and as I looked down, I could make out what appeared to be very fine sand. I realized I was on the ocean floor. Very quickly after I had figured this out, from out of the darkness came a rhythm, a moderately fast drumming. A flash of green light accompanied by an outline of magenta then appeared, revealed a being of light. The flash of light would appear with each beat of the drum until both the light and the outline separated into two beings, with one being entirely green and one being entirely magenta

The beat was so familiar, almost as if it were ingrained into my very soul. I needed to go towards it. I began swimming, the beat most surely getting louder. As I swam, I saw glimpses of an inkling in a yellow hoodie. She stared at me with the bluest of eyes, and as I tried to ask her who she was, I found I could not speak, my voice missing.

Then I heard singing.

_Once, we were as one, but war-torn we became two parts. We tried to rule it all._

_Fighting, killing, it didn't seem to end until we got onto stage, and from then on we would sing our battle call._

_For all this time, we thought if we kept fighting it out until the oceans dried,_

_That we would win, but that wasn't the case, now was it?_

_Now it's time to end the great divide._

_With a brush in hand, we'll paint the land with ink, but not with malice on command._

_I'll hold your hand. Together we will color the future with arrays of rainbows, just you and me, won't it be grand?_

The voices singing the song sounded so familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it... I was instantly in the mood to dance, and everything seemed right, as if this very song could lift a curse.

I heard a growling noise come from behind me, and after I turned around to see what it was, I was frozen stiff. There were two big eyes staring at me, both blue and with a green sclera. I took a step back, but the eyes moved closer. I took another step. They moved even closer.

So I ran. I ran as fast as I could. Looking behind me, the eyes were still there, following me. As I continued running, I noticed two things. One, I felt like I was running very slowly. Two, I was underwater, so how was I running? Wait, was this a...?

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up in a cold sweat, then looked at the clock beside my bed. It was nine in the morning. As I got out of bed, I realized I was still in the same clothes I wore yesterday. I guess a change wouldn't hurt...

After changing into the gear I got from yesterday, along with a pair of sweatpants, I ran into the living room, my beanie on my head. "Nem-Nem!" I shouted. "How do I look?!"

Nem-Nem was watching television, laying on the couch eating kelp chips. And before you say anything, they're nothing like potato chips. They're actual dried bits of kelp. It took me a while to get used to them. They're actually _really_ good with salt.

Nem-Nem looked at me and sat up. "You look great," she said with a forced smile. She didn't want me to go. I looked down, thinking of what I should do. Before I could say I'd stay home, she stood up. "Alright! Are you ready to get out there?"

"You don't look like you want me out there," I said.

Nem-Nem rolled her eyes. "Oy, kid, I'm tryin' to help. I can't avoid this forever. Eventually you're gonna grow up and the next thing I know, the octarians are gonna attack and you won't know what to do because I couldn't let you learn the basics."

"And what about you?" I asked. "I don't want you to feel bad about it."

"Hey, Amelia. Look at me," she said, placing both hands on my shoulder. I looked at her and she continued. "Adulting is hard. It's dumb, and sometimes it hurts. I'm doing this for you. If you really wanna make me happy, then you show me that you can handle yourself out there on your own. Show me you can go up against the competition. Okay?"

I nodded, gripping my weapon. Upon seeing the Splattershot Jr. in my hand, Nem-Nem shook her head. "What are you doing with _that?_ "

"I was gonna use it," I said. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Nuh-uh. That won't protect you. You're gonna need mine," she said. _...Hers?_

She quickly ran off to her room and I simply waited, confused. What did Nem-Nem use during her turf wars? When she finally came back, she was twirling, to my amazement, a pair of Light Tetra Dualies. I was speechless. Designed for mobility, dualies were basically twin handguns of sorts. Of course, they only shoot ink.

"Where did you--?!" I started to say, walking forward excitedly before tripping. I quickly got up, getting a close look at them. "Where did you get these?!"

"I told you. I used to compete," she replied with a proud little smile. "They were pretty fun. Probably still are, but they're not for me anymore. Here!"

As she held them out to me, I was very hesitant. Was I worthy enough? I slowly reached my hands out, taking one in both. They felt like they fit perfectly. I shuddered with joy and squealed a bit, making Nem-Nem flinch.

"Woah," she said. "You're not gonna freak out, are you?"

I released another squeal of excitement. It was like opening a Christmas present early! "I never thought I'd get to even _hold_ these, let alone use them!"

I looked at the Tetras a little closer, then noticed something odd. There was a button on the top of the grip. Nem-Nem, seeing this, tried to warn me. "U-Uhh, don't touch that button just ye--"

It was too late. Before my mind could even register what she'd said, I had pushed the button, and I was suddenly sent sliding forward a bit, but I wasn't able to hold onto it. The one Tetra in my right went flying across the room, shattering a picture frame that had been hanging on the wall before falling onto the ground.

"Grandpa Nema!" shouted Nem-Nem, running up to the picture frame. She carefully held it in her hands and pulled out an old photo of her grandpa. He was very important to her, and she'd often tell stories of his adventures.

I quickly ran over as soon as I realized what had happened. "Nem-Nem! Is... Is it okay?! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, it's fine!" she said, looking very shaky as she held the photo. "Just... whew... The glass protected it. We can get a new frame for it. This picture is priceless. It's the only thing I have left of Grandpa Nema."

"I'm really sorry," I repeated. I don't know how it happened.

Nem-Nem slipped the photo in her pocket, then turned to me, giving me back the Tetra. "It's fine. It's a dodge mechanism. Wherever you point those shooters, you gotta keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. That button on the top will make it spray ink to propel you in direction, resulting in a dodge roll. Of course, these types of dualies don't do a 'roll'. It's more of a slide. Just slides you in the direction. Used to wear out my shoes and had to get new ones, but that Kensa brand you're wearing should be fine."

"Wait... you said it sprays out ink to propel, right?" I asked.

Nem-Nem blinked, confused. "Yeah? Why?"

I turned around, seeing ink, or rather, what _used_ to be ink, settled into the carpet floor as a small puddle. I heard Nem-Nem's screech. "Oohhhh nononononono! We rent this place! How am I gonna get this out before the next payment?!"

Looking at the ink, I wondered where it had come from, considering the dualies weren't connected to a tank. Then I realized it must have been leftover from her very last match. Being stuck in the dualies, the ink must have aged very badly. "It looks... disgusting," I said, noting that it seemed to be bubbling. It was a green sludge at this point.

"Look, uhh..." Nem-Nem looked at me, then at the ink stain, beads of sweat on her forehead. She was obviously very stressed. "You _do_ know your way around town... I'm gonna need you out of here for a bit while I try to get this out of the carpet. It's not you. I uh... I just don't want you causing any more damage. No offense."

"Are you sure...?" I asked, not wanting to leave her here to clean up this mess by herself.

"Yeah, yeah. Just keep your gear on. Keep that beanie on. And uh..." She looked at me one more time. "Something's missing... Oh!"

Nem-Nem ran into the restroom, then came out with her makeup kit. I was immediately concerned. "Uhh... What are you doing?" I asked.

"Hold still," she said, grabbing me by the shoulder. "Close your eyes, I'mma apply this."

I did as told, but was very puzzled. "What are you doing?" I asked as I felt her brush over my eyes over and over, very precisely around them.

"There," she said, and I opened my eyes, startled that I saw an inkling staring back at me. Only... it wasn't an inkling. It was me. My eyes had black makeup on them, giving me the same eyemask-like trait as the inklings did. She smiled and said, "This is so no one asks you any questions."

I couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Nem-Nem."

"No problem. Now hurry up, cuz I gotta get this cleaned up and I don't want distractions. Get out there, remember what I told you about the dualies, and _please_ don't get run over by a roller," she said.

I chuckled nervously, remembering yesterday when I had snuck out. I nodded, then grabbed my phone before running out the door, making my way to Inkopolis Square. This would be it. This would be my debut!

After taking the straightforward path, I quickly made it to Inkopolis Square. Surrounding me on opposite sides of the streets were the shops on the left and the arcade on the right. At the end of the street... was Deca Tower, a hotspot hub for all competitors, and I would soon be one of the participants.

As I was just about to run over, I heard my name. "Amelia!"

Who...? I turned around and saw him. It was the very same inkling who had saved me yesterday, Ace.

Ace ran to up me with a big grin on his face, adjusting his beret with one hand while he held out the other to shake my hand. "I almost didn't recognize you," he said with a smirk.

"How _did_ you recognize me?" I asked. I had completely forgotten until now that I had been wearing this new makeup.

"My phone," he answered. "It told me you were nearby, and considering there's no other people here..."

I blinked, realizing, then looked around. He was right. There wasn't a single inkling in sight. Where were they all?

As I opened my mouth to ask, he answered quickly, "They're in the Deca Tower, competing to get noticed by the brands."

"The brands?" I asked. "What are those?"

"Ah, right, I forgot you're a newbie," he answered. He shook his head. "Can't have that. Don't worry, I'll teach you all I know. Alright, look down," he commanded.

I hesitantly looked down.

He asked me, "What do you see?"

"My shoes?" I answered, confused.

"What kind are they?" he asked.

"Toni Kensa," I answered.

"That's a brand," he explained. "See, today is a big day. The representatives of those brands are gonna be watching us all participate in turf wars today."

My eyes widened. "Wow! Sounds really important!"

"It _really_ is!" he said. "If we get noticed, they might decide to sponsor us. That means fresh gear and an even fresher rep!"

I thought about it, and getting new gear did sound amazing. I wondered what could possibly go with my hi-tops. While I was thinking, he grabbed my arm and began running towards the tower.

"Uh... Where are we going?" I asked, trying my best to keep up so I didn't get dragged.

"I'm gonna help you get good! That way you can get noticed!" he answered. There was a grin on his face and determination in his eyes.

"You'd help me get noticed?" I asked.

"Why not?" he asked as we slowed down, walking up to the silver doors. As we approached, they opened to reveal a kaleidoscope of colors. "If I help you get good, that means more fun for me! I get a new rival!" he exclaimed. That was... an odd outlook on it. It made me giggle a little, and he noticed, his grin getting a little wider.

"Alright!" I replied enthusiastically. "Let's go! Where first?"

Ace raised up his hand and pointed out a finger, a giant holographic screen appearing as soon as he did. He quickly tapped on one of the locations: Blackbelly Skatepark.

"Oh, neat!" I said, grinning, pulling my beanie on a little tighter and hooking up my cloth mask to my mouth.

As he tapped it, the colorful array of colors swirled around us, making me a little dizzy, just like last time. Though I had to admit, it was beautiful, like a fever dream. The lights went faster and faster until they quickly collected in my vision, blinding me with a bright white.

I blinked, and found that we had been transported to the actual skatepark. Beneath me was a metal circle with a pink light. This was known as the spawn point for inklings, and the light's color would represent the team color when the match started, but the battle shouldn't have started just yet. We still had at least thirty minutes to coordinate.

Looking beside me, I saw Ace, his bowlcut now pink. With a grin, he took my hand and led me off the metal circle. In front of us was a bowl ramp, leading to many canyon ramps and corners where many skaters would shred throughout most of the day, but today was special. This skatepark was reserved for a turf war.

"Alright," said Ace, jumping into the bowl ramp. "Get your weapon out. Show me what you got. I wanna see you hit me."

I quickly took my dualies from my pockets, aiming them right at him, and all of a sudden, a heaviness could be felt on my back. This was normal in the inkling world. Whenever you entered through a spawn point, you were marked. This marker would equip an ink tank every time you pulled out your weapon by materializing it on your back through a special transport system.

How they managed to make this tech, I'd never know. It's incredible. Or should I say... 'INKredible'? Eh? EH? No...? Okay...

He feigned fear, both hands on his cheeks, mouth open, as if he were about to scream. He stayed like that for several seconds before bursting out into laughter. I smiled and laughed a little in response. "Alright," he said. "Let's see how good you are with those. Try to hit me. I'm pretty fast."

I pulled the triggers, immediately firing a stream of rapid-fire ink shots, and he was right. He was amazingly fast. There must have been some power-ups in his gear that allowed him frightening speed. He ran out of the bowl ramp and to my side.

I quickly turned as he ran to the side of me, and as I fired, I didn't notice that he had pulled a weapon from his pocket until it was too late. It was an N-Zap, a pistol-like ink shooter, and it was aimed straight at me. He fired, and I was instantly hit. I stumbled back, and I did, one of my steps felt no ground, only air. I was falling into the bowl ramp!

Before I could, he grabbed my hand, halting my descent. He looked me in the eyes, and he gave me the most smug smile I had ever seen. Who was this inkling, and why was he willing to teach me when he was so talented, when I shouldn't even be worth his time?

"You're supposed to use your dodge rolls. These are dualies, right?" he asked, shaking my hand with my tightly-gripped shooter.

I was still breathing heavily, my heart still racing from having almost fallen and possibly breaking my back. "Y-Yeah," I managed to choke out. He pulled me up and shook his head.

As he took out his phone and scrolled through what looked to be his contacts, he said to himself, "How to teach a newbie who can't even dodge roll...? I need Bryson."

"You rang?" a rather snobby voice from the spawn point asked. I was taken by surprise, looking to see a dark-skinned inkling with a beret of his own, wearing round sunglasses and a very fancy vest and very sleek Navy Enperrials, a high-class brand of footwear. "I'm not some teacher. These noobs are beneath me," he said with a clear hint of disgust.

"Didn't think you'd be here, Bryson." said Ace. "I was just about to call you."

Bryson sneered. "Isn't it obvious why I'm here? I'm here for the turf war. Normally I'm in ranked battles, but this so-called _casual_ battle is being monitored by the big brand companies. I have no idea why they wouldn't want to just go to the very top and ask an X-Rank to represent them."

"Because it's all about fairness," answered Ace. Besides, odds are that a person like you would only intimidate potential consumers. They probably want a fresh face."

"Oh, I'll be that face," replied Bryson.

Ace rolled his eyes. "Uh huh..."

It was then that the spawn point produced another inkling, this time with very pale skin and a rather odd hairstyle, considering most inklings didn't wear their tentacles in a ponytail with suction cups facing outwards. Her ears, unlike other inklings, were more rounded instead of the usual pointed ears. She wore a red ski jacket with down boots, and atop her head was was red and white cap with a Zekko signature logo on it.

"A-Am I late?" she timidly asked. "I hope I'm not late."

"You _noob_ ," answered Bryson. "Check your phone. It displays the scheduled matches." Then a bead of sweat travelled down his cheek. "Oh no," he said, looking at me, and then looking at the new inkling. "We're half incompetent! I can't be on this team!"

He ran onto the spawn point and pushed the inkling girl to the floor before kicking the metal disk angrily.

Ace laughed and said, "Calm down, Bryson. You've still got time to coordinate. Also, aren't you a professional? You of all competitors should know that the spawn points don't let us go back until the match is over."

"Gah!" Bryson kicked the spawn point even more. "This is _not_ fresh!"

I went over to the fallen girl and held out my hand. "Need help?" I asked, smiling as sincerely as I could.

She returned the smile and grabbed on. "Thank you," she replied. "I'm grateful."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Olivia," she answered. "My friends call me Liv, though."

"Am I your friend?" I asked?

"Are you?" she asked in return.

"I like to think I could be your friend," I replied with a hopeful smile.

She smiled back and said, "Then you are my friend."

Bryson turned around, giving us both an angry glare. "You'd better not mess this up, or I'm gonna splat you so hard you won't wanna come out the spawn point!"

"Geez, Bryson, calm down," said Ace, chuckling. "I think you're overreacting. It's just a casual match."

"I have never lost a _single match_ ," claimed Bryson. "My brother would _flip_ if I did."

"Then let your brother flip." replied Ace. "It's not like your life depends on it."

From what I could see, Bryson was one of the elite, and certainly didn't consider me or anyone else as his equal. I hoped that this wouldn't lead to complications in our fight. Before I could say anything to him, all of our squidphones beeped.

"It's time already?" Ace wondered. He held his N-Zap firmly. "Alright, guys! Spawn point, now!"

I tensed up. It was time, and it would be my first time with these dualies, and I had barely even gotten any training in. Walking onto the spawn point, I heard it beep, trying to register my squidphone. I then saw a red x appear on my screen. It read, 'Genetic material unidentifiable.'

That meant it couldn't tie me to the spawn point if I were to be, um, splatted. I couldn't come back like an inkling could. This machine supposedly caught the ghosts of inklings and puts those ghosts into new bodies, recreating what they used to look like before being splatted.

I shuddered and put my squidphone back in my pocket, wanting to think of something else, like this match. My teammates readied their weapons. Ace had his N-Zap, Bryson had his umbrella, which, oddly enough, worked like a shotgun and a shield at the same time, and Liv had a slosher, which was, um... an ordinary bucket. I think the Squid Research Lab was running out of ideas for the weapon department at this point.

I held up my dualies, ready to begin the match. I didn't notice it until now, but there were people watching us from outside the turf, and it wasn't just inklings. There were so many different species of marine life, cheering from their seats.

I was nervous, because I knew that somewhere in the crowd, one of those big brand reps would be watching. Looking at my dualies, I wondered now Nem-Nem would've played. Come to think of it, I'd never seen her do anything extreme.

Across the skatepark would be the competitors. Who they were, I didn't know, but I was ready to go at it with all I had. My squidphone beeped.

One beep.

Two beeps.

Three beeps.

And the match had started. I immediately began spraying, as did my teammates. I could see Ace already heading for the large tower in the center of the skatepark. Maybe he wanted to get to the high ground before they could? I could never get up there unless I went squid, so I was restricted to ground level.

"Hey, _noob!_ " shouted Bryson. He was already near the tower. "Get over here!"

I quickly ran to his position, having to jump and climb out of the ramp just to get to him. Reaching him, he gave me a scowl. I couldn't help but ask, "Where do I shoot?"

"Are you an idiot?!" he angrily asked, his fist shaking in the air. "Shoot where there's no ink! And splat the opponent! You're a Tetra user, so go to the frontlines, too!"

I was going to panic. I'd never met anyone like this guy before. I followed orders, not wanting to anger him further, firing my dualies wherever I found dry ground. Already, I saw someone on the ledge above me. It was an enemy inkling, her ink color being blue, and she had a smug smile on her face.

"Wow," she said. "You sure are ugly. What's up with your ears?"

"My ears?" I asked, reaching to feel them.

"They're not pointed," she said. "I guess you messed up your transformation. Or maybe you just have poor taste in looks. Ah, well. At least I can rid my gaze of your offending looks!"

She raised what I recognized as a Kensa Splatterscope, a sniper rifle of ink-shooting weapons, and it was _pointed at me_. I quickly pointed my dualies to my right, pressing the button and activating my dodge mechanic, pulling me out of the way of her near-instant shot. What was left in the shot's wake was a long line of ink, which she quickly dived into in squid form, travelling to the end of it and reemerging.

I saw her aim her weapon at me again, and I activated the dodge mechanic once more. My body jerked as I was pulled out of the way, dodging another shot. "A-Ace! I need you!" I cried. "Bryson?! Liv?!"

"Hold still, you dumb, _ugly_ noob!" she demanded. I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction. I remember what I saw on television once. A tetra user was utilizing the dualies' mechanics to their full limit, dodging in a zigzag line.

So I'd do the same. I immediately pressed the button, inching forth, then pressed them a second time, inching in another direction, coming ever closer to her. She was struggling to line up a shot with me moving around. I move a third time, then a fourth. I was now in front of her. I aimed both dualies at her, firing them at point blank range.

In only a few shots to her face, she exploded in a mess of pink ink, and I mean she _literally_ exploded. Inklings, when shot with ink that is not their color, will explode. They don't really die, though, because they're tied to the spawn point.

I could see her ghost floating back towards her spawn point for a new body. Too bad I couldn't do that. Then I could make as many mistakes as I wanted without having to worry about dying permanently.

I looked up at the tower, seeing Ace shooting from above at one of the enemy inklings. He had this big smile on his face, like nothing could phase him. You could tell him the world was ending and he probably wouldn't care.

Bryson was slow with his moves, but he was also unstoppable. His umbrella was both a weapon _and_ a shield. An inkling with his own set of dualies attempted to take down Bryson, only to be denied and shot in the face, the poor inkling exploding. Bryson was unstoppable.

Suddenly, I heard Ace's defeated cry as he was splatted by an inkling with a weapon I could recognize anywhere. It was a blaster, similar to a shooter, but with a neat feature. About half a second after being shot out, the ink explodes, damaging nearby inklings.

The inkling was very pale, with a black jacket, possibly a Black Inky Rider, Punk Black shoes, and a Hockey Mask. He looked down on me from the top of the tower. "Scared?" he asked.

I shook my head and aimed by dualies up at him, firing. He simply stepped back, my shots unable to hit him from down below. I couldn't get up there, because in order to do so, I'd need to paint the walls of it with ink and swim up it in squid form.

But I'm human.

Then, the hockey masked inkling aimed his weapon at me, firing. I wasn't fast enough to dodge, and so I took two direct hits, pain hitting my body. The ink didn't do anything, but the impact was everything.

I was drenched in blue ink, my body feeling pretty icky at this point, and I really wanted to wash myself off. Then I realized something. He had stopped shooting. I looked up to see him standing up there, awe-struck, eyes wide open.

"Uh..." I was a bit confused, but then I remembered, I wasn't an inkling, and I didn't explode into ink like inklings did.

He took a step back. "You're completely covered in our ink, but... N-No, you must have been using ink armor. I must not have seen you glowing was all."

Ink armor was a special ability that could come with a weapon. Usually, the user would be glowing if they had ink armor on, and it could protect you from one hit. I was about to speak, but... he shot me again, right in the face.

"Hah! Got y--" The inkling stopped his sentence midway when he saw that I was still there. He was freaked out, and I could tell. He'd never seen this kind of thing happen before.

He fired again, then again. Blast after blast, I was pelted, and it hurt. I was on my hands and knees, unable to stand up because of the pain. I was blinded, unable to see, and while I wanted to scream for mercy, I didn't. This game meant too much for me to quit.

Then, I heard Ace. "Woah! Hey, stop it! What do you think you're doing?!"

"That inkling's either a freak or doesn't have a limiter on their gear!" the enemy inkling replied. "Hey! Let go of my blaster!"

I heard a splat, and seconds after, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me up, then wrapped their arms around my shoulders. "C'mon. I'm getting you back to the spawn point."

"Ace?" I asked, unable to open my eyes.

"Yeah," he answered. "Don't worry, newbie. I've got your back."

"That blaster," I said. "I'm in pain."

"Yeah, it'll sting," he said. "But we don't normally feel it too much if we die. I don't see how you survived, but that's kinda fresh, if you ask me. You don't see that every day."

I was set down on what I assumed was metal. I tried to tell him, "Ace, I--"

"Hang on," he said, wiping my face with his hands. They were oddly cold. I always thought inklings were warm like I was, but then again, considering they were squids, it kinda made sense.

I could finally open my eyes, and when I did, I found him staring back at me, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face. I asked, "Wh-What's wrong?"

He raised up his hand to show me the black makeup smeared on it. Uh oh...

"Hey, uh... Don't get me wrong," he said. "I'm not making fun of you or anything, but are you okay? Usually our eyes can come with the transformation. I've never seen an inkling use makeup for that look."

As I opened my mouth to answer, my phone beeped. The match was over. I saw the turf behind Ace, and it was obvious who won. There was blue everywhere. We had lost. "I'm sorry," I said, my heart sinking into sadness.

"Huh?" Ace looked behind him, then turned back to me. "Oh, that? Who cares? It's just a sport. What's important is having fun, and right now, you don't look like you had a good time."

"That girl's a freak!" I heard coming from above us. The inkling with the hockey mask from earlier was sitting on the ledge above us, holding his Blaster. "She should be disqualified!"

"Isn't it a little too early for Splatoween?" Ace asked. "Take that mask off."

"Make me," replied the opponent. "I'm going to report her."

"For what? Being unable to die?" asked Ace. "I don't think she can help it."

"I bet she's cheating," said a female voice. It was the inkling I had splatted earlier in the match. Her hair had changed from blue to pink. She aimed her Splatterscope, making me flinch. Seeing that, she giggled to herself, lowering her weapon.

"She's completely new to the game, guys, look at her stats," defended Ace. "Cut her some slack."

"Won't matter anyways," said the masked inkling. "We won, and that means we're more likely to get noticed."

"Sweet gear, here we come," said the girl inkling.

"I'd better not see you cheating again," said the masked one as they both walked away.

Why were some of these inklings so rude?

"Don't pay attention to them," assured Ace, placing his hand on my shoulder. He had a big grin on his face, his fangs unsettling me a little. Inklings always had these odd teeth, where there were two fangs where a human's would be, and an extra fang on the bottom middle.

I could help but return a soft, nervous smile. "Thank you for helping me. I don't think I could've taken more of that."

"That must've been painful, surviving so many blasts like that," he said. Then, looking up, he said," Hey, Judd!"

I turned my head, seeing Judd. Judd was the judge around here, and like many judges, he was in charge of determining who won the matches. That wasn't the only special thing about him, though. The really special thing about him was the fact that... he was a cat.

Judd was a white cat with a tuxedo-like gray fur pattern on him, and he had one dark patch on his head's left side. He was a very special case, where he was also frozen in a cryopod, but not by one built by my dad. Whoever made his cryopod made it much more efficient than the one I was in.

While I had been in that pod for a long time, the president of Japan and his men had not survived, their pods having failed shortly after they were put in. Judd's cryopod was meant to keep going, even after power was long lost. The inkling who had found me had said that the cryopods containing the president and his men had shorted out. Judd's cryopod was designed to keep going, even after a failure. In other words, I was lucky to be alive.

Judd looked at me, his cat eyes squinting. "Didn't think I'd see the day,"

"What?" asked Ace.

"Nothing," replied Judd. "I don't need to judge this battle. Look at all that blue. Alright, listen up, cool cats. Ol' Judd gotta lay down the rules."

I was even more confused than Ace by this point.

"Normally, I'd disqualify an inkling who can't be splatted," said Jude. "Buuuuut... I'm also seeing that you can't go squid, right?"

I nodded my head. "I can't."

Ace looked at me, a brow raised. "Why can't you go squid?"

I froze, then said, "Uh... Personal reasons."

"Hmm..." Judd stroked his chin with a paw, "Meow. That's quite a tricky set of circumstances. I _could_ let it slide, judging how you'd probably be slow in a match. Being unable to die, but you're slower than other inklings. I think that's an acceptable handicap. Considering you can't go squid and you can't superjump to another teammate, you'd be slowing them down if they waited for you."

"Are you saying she can keep playing?" asked Ace.

"Meow. For now, but if I get more complaints, and I mean a _lot_ of complaints, I'd have no choice," answered Judd. "I think her slow nature is a pretty fair trade."

Ace grinned again, showing off those strange teeth. "Nice! See? You don't need to stop playing until the big cat says so!"

"Meow. Just make sure you don't upset others," said Judd.

Why was he letting me play? What was his reasoning? It's not that I wasn't grateful, but he just took one look at me and I knew there was something odd in his eyes. Was it pity? I was afraid to ask honestly.

So I just nodded, and after Judd had left, I turned to ace. "Again, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," said Ace.

"Sorry," I said before covering my mouth.

Ace then laughed. "I don't know what region you're from, but here, we stay fresh and don't apologize for it. So stay fresh!"

I was taken aback by his attitude. He was always so positive, even when losing. How could I get in his mindset when I'm me? "So I don't have to apologize?" I asked.

"Nope. Just stay fresh," he answered.

"Stay fresh?" I repeated.

"Stay fresh," he repeated back.

I blushed. I was very intimidated by this personality, and while I wanted to convey in the same way, I was shy.

Ace tapped his foot, thinking. Then, his eyes lit up with an idea. "I got it! How about I take you out on a Salmon Run?"

"Salmon Run...?" I was confused. I had never heard of such a thing.

"Yeah!" he replied. "Follow me!"

I didn't even have time to object. He grabbed my hand and drug me halfway across Inkopolis. Then, finally, we were there. Next to Deca Tower, in a hidden corner of the square, we were in front of a gritty building, the inside full of what looked to me like junk. Ace cheerfully walked towards what looked like a spawn point and stood on it. He gave me a gesture with his hands to come over, and I did, warily, feeling like this was wrong for some reason.

I stood on the spawn point and my phone beeped. I was surprised by what my eyes registered..

_Genetic Material Identified._

How did...?

Before I could raise questions, I was suddenly warped. I could feel my body stretching, as if I was taffy. I could feel myself being pulled into forever, if that made sense. The feeling intensified more with every second that passed, and I wasn't sure if I could keep stretching without splitting apart.

Finally, I felt my feet finally touch solid ground again. We were on the deck of a small boat, and in my hands was the heaviest of weapons, the Splatling gun. It operated similarly to a gatling gun, and it packed a lot of firepower.

I saw Ace next to me, wielding the same weapon, a big grin on his face. "Hey, this is what I main."

I looked down at myself. I was, for no apparent reason, wearing overalls, rubber boots, and rubber gloves, and so was Ace. I was really confused, my mind trying to figure out what kind of tech I was dealing with.

I looked around and spotted an island up ahead. "What is this place? Where did you take me?" I asked.

Ace smiled and said, "Oh, those are the ruins of /////////// /////////////////////."

I couldn't understand that word. "I'm sorry, could you explain those last two words?"

"Um... This is where the humans did their rituals, I think," he said.

"Rituals?" I asked.

"Um... Something about space. That's one of their things, I think," he said pointing to the wreckage of a large space shuttle. One wing was jutting from the water, the letters, 'ICA', written on it. I had never heard of an ICA before. They must have been some big company that dealt with space flight before the ocean levels started rising. On the island, there was a building, a building that I vaguely remembered seeing in a textbook that was on dad's bookshelf. The book was all about space, and how humans had gone to the moon once.

The building was squarish, with ramps leading upwards to upper platforms. Overall, it was kind of like a tower, one that anyone could easily climb on without any trouble. The water surrounding it was a disgusting green, and it made me shudder to think that we may have caused that effect from our unintentional pollutionary attack on the ocean.

I looked over to Ace, who had already gone to the other end of the boat, talking to some radio. The radio, wooden, and shaped like a grizzly bear, reminded me of my dad's old knick-knacks. I missed my dad's humorous obsession with antiques...

I walked over, hearing a gruff male voice coming from the radio.

 ** _"Look kid, she's a rookie. I'm not gonna hire her,"_** the voice from the radio said.

"Oh, c'mon, Mr. Grizz! You know me! I can keep her safe while we do this! Trust me!" replied Ace. "She'll be in safe hands."

 ** _"It ain't legal, kid. Don't try me. I'm sending you back,"_** it said.

"Look, Grizz, I got this," reassured Ace. "Besides, look around. Do you see any cameras here? Plus, I heard you didn't get as many workers this week as you normally do. Would be quite a shame if you missed out on those eggs today. Remember, the Great Salmon Migration only happens only once every seventy years."

The radio went silent. I was sure that we'd be sent back, but then...

The radio speakers blared, **_"Fine, kid, but I swear, if you screw this up, I never met you, you never met me, got it?"_**

"Yep!" answered Ace. "Don't worry! She'll be in good hands!"

I wasn't sure what just happened. "Ace, what are we doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, right!" Ace realized. "I didn't explain. Okay, see, a Salmon Run is where we retrieve special eggs for Mr. Grizz, and we get paid for doing it."

"Eggs?" I asked. "What kind of eggs?"

"Golden eggs," answered Ace. "To be honest, I dunno what he does with 'em, but at least we get paid, right? We can buy you some new gear, and maybe something to eat."

"That sounds nice," I said, a little excited. "Let's go, then!"

"Alright," said Ace. "Superjump. Let's go."

"W-Wait!" I blurted out. "I... can't."

Ace was struck with confusion. "You can't superjump?"

"I cannot," I answered. How would I explain this without complications? "I, um, can't superjump, because I... have a fear of heights."

Ace seemed to have a look of skepticism. I was worried that he'd say something about it, but then he said, "I getcha, I getcha. Grizz, can you drive us a little closer?"

 ** _"What am I, a chauffeur?"_** Grizz asked sarcastically.

"Eggs," said Ace.

 ** _"Alright, alright. Yeesh,"_** said Grizz, the boat turning and heading towards the island.

As I stepped ashore, I could see English writing on the walls of the building. It read, 'Danger: Beware of Bear.' I wasn't liking this. Human ruins, and here we were, doing something obviously sketchy. "Ace? I'm a little scared," I said, my brain on high alert.

"Huh?" Ace looked at me and smiled. "Don't worry! I've got your back!"

His overwhelming confidence seemed to melt away what fears I had. How was this a real person? I'd never met anyone this confident, especially in the world I once grew up in before that fateful day. "Y-Yeah," I said. "And I've got yours!"

"You know what to do?" he asked.

"You said something about eggs, right?" I queried, hoping for an explanation.

"Okay, so, we gotta collect eggs," said Ace. "I'll guide you through the tougher ones, but for now, focus on splatting the regulars."

I nodded, then held down the button on the grip of my splatling. The gun whirred to life, the barrels spinning and shooting out ink with so much power, I was sent skidding back on my heels. After a while of figuring out what stance to position myself into in order to fire the weapon properly, I was somewhat ready.

 ** _"Here they come,"_** said Grizz through a small speaker I was apparently wearing. I didn't even realize I was until now." **_"Do your job! Collect those eggs! There's salmonid approaching."_**

"Salmonid?" I muttered. All I saw coming ashore were these odd little walking fish with bulbous eyeballs. They didn't even seem to be focusing on a single thing, both eyes looking in different directions.

As it approached me, I raised my splatling, revving it up and firing a flurry of orange ink. In only two seconds, the creatures exploded into orange. I felt something eating away at me in the back of my mind. My conscience wasn't liking this, and honestly, neither was I.

It was only when I saw a dozen climb ashore that I panicked. They were coming right at me, and this gun was _really_ heavy. Not much mobility for me. "Ace!" I called.

"Already got it!" he said, jumping off the ramp, his gun whirring as he went through the air." Half of the dozen were immediately splatted, but it didn't stop the rest of them from coming my way. I raised my hand, a splat bomb materializing, then threw it at them, splattering all six.

"That's it! You got it!" cheered Ace, but in my mind, I felt horrible.

"Ace?" I queried. "Are these salmon tied to a spawn point?"

"I dunno," said Ace. "Why?"

"What do you _mean_ 'why'?" I asked.

"I mean, I dunno what you mean by that," he answered."

"Ace, what happens to inklings who die without being tied to a spawn point?" I asked, my mind raising alarms.

"That's easy, they d---..." Ace rubbed the back of his neck. "Is... that what this is about?"

"Yes," I said.

"I, uhh... I know that's a problem, but..." he trailed off.

"But _what_?" I asked.

"They're the enemy," he answered. "They're in league with the octarians."

Octarians were the common enemy of the inklings. Long ago, octarians and inklings used to be friends. But then, the ocean levels started rising again, forcing them to fight for territory. I didn't know much about it, but I do know it ended up with the inklings winning, forcing the octarians to live elsewhere.

I held my gun close. I felt conflicted. "Does that really have to make them our enemies?" I asked. I was hoping the answer was no, but...

He took my hand and looked me in the eyes. "Do you wanna go home...?" he asked.

I was shaking a little. I didn't want to just go home, but I also didn't wanna do this. "Can we just... I dunno, get something to eat?"

He chuckled, then hugged me. "Sure," he said. "Hey, Grizz! Can you take us home?"

 ** _"What?! You wasted my time for this?!"_** Grizz asked in anger. **_"I swear, if I wasn't elsewhere, I'd..."_**

"I'll do extra work, free of charge," said Ace.

 ** _"...Two months,"_** said Grizz.

"Two whole months?" I asked.

"Deal," said Ace, smiling, still as chipper as ever. How did he do it? He was never upset, even upon hearing _this_.

I felt guilty, especially with him doing this for _me_ , some random girl he'd just met. "Do you really wanna do this?" I asked.

"You wanna splat salmonids or do you wanna eat?" he asked, still smiling.

He had my best interests in mind, and... I just sighed and nodded. "Let's eat," I said. "I'm so sorry,"

"Think nothing of it," he replied. "The way I see it, it's good practice."

I couldn't stop him from splatting these things. It was an inkling world now. Humans were no longer present, and I guess... the general morals here were different. Then again, would humans have done the same to an enemy? I know our kind had fought each other, but...

No. Stop thinking about it. No more thinking today.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 _"YOU IDIOT! YOU WENT ON A SALMON RUN WITHOUT MEEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?!"_ Bryson was furious, his umbrella open and pointed at Ace, with Ace drinking his beverage casually.

After heading back to the square, Ace treated me, Bryson, and Liv to drinks. We were all outside, and although the sun was hot, the drinks helped a lot.

"Yuh huh, but it was kinda boring. We had to go right after starting. I don't mind, though," said Ace, looking at me as he said that last part with another of his smiles.

Liv sat across the table from me, looking down at her phone. She seemed rather shy, and I couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Liv seemed to snap out of a trance, her eyes dart up to look at me. "Hm? I'm okay," she assured. "I, uh, was just checking the news."

"News?" I asked.

"Yep," she answered. "News."

Bryson huffed, closing his umbrella. He took a deep breath, then exhaled. He seemed to be rather annoyed, and I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to smack Ace upside the head. "I'm fine," he said. "It's fine. We're _all_ fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Ace, his smile becoming more of a smug smirk.

 _"NO!"_ answered Bryson. He took another deep breath, then exhaled with more of an irritated groan. "I don't know what would prompt you to leave for a Salmon Run without me, especially after we _just did a turf war_. You _know_ we also do Salmon Run together. That was _our_ thing, and you decide to just pair up with some _noob_?!"

"I, uh, take offense to that," I weakly muttered.

 _"No one cares."_ Bryson quickly said in response. I shrank back into my chair, feeling intimidated by this guy.

"Relax, Bryson. It's not like she's taking your rank," said Ace, taking another sip. Then, he opened his mouth to say," Not yet, anyway..."

Bryson gasped. _"What is that I'm hearing?! Are you saying this_ ** _noob_** _could surpass_ ** _me_** _?!"_

"Again, offense," I muttered as quietly as I could. Bryson shot me with a glare, one that radiated pure and total anger. I shrank back even further.

"Give her a chance, Bryson," said Ace, shrugging with a grin. "She's a bit rough around the edges, but I'm pretty sure she could become just as skilled as you are in the future."

 _"Never!"_ declared Bryson. "I will protect my rank! Even _if_ she reaches X, I shall not let you surpass me!"

I drank my soda, finally running out. I don't know what they put in this, but it was _amazing_. I felt like I could take on the world. Looking at Bryson, there was something about him that stood out. It wasn't just his fancy appearance or his anger issues. I felt like there was something more to him.

"In all of my years," said Bryson, "I had never been beaten... At least, not until today..." He looked at me with what looked to be bitterness.

"I didn't mean to... you know..." I sipped my soda, trying not to draw more of his wrath towards me.

"And that's okay," said Ace. "You're just a rookie. It's not as if Bryson here hasn't made any mistakes."

Bryson looked very offended. "Excuse me?"

"You hear me, Bryson," said Ace. "Remember your first match?"

I saw Bryson's cheeks turned red, and he replied with, "You swore you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"I'm not," Ace replied. "I'm just saying that you made a mistake. I never said what it was, so don't worry."

Bryson clenched his fists, but took yet another deep breath and stowed away his anger, He looked at me, approached me, and I shrank even further back into my chair. I raised my drink in defense.

He didn't hit me, though. What he did instead was much more surprising. He held out his hand. I looked at it, then looked at him, then looked back at the hand. "Well?" he asked. I very carefully took his hand, and he shook it.

I stared at him, confused. "Why--"

"Shut," he said. "I will admit that even _I_ have made mistakes." Then he pulled me close, his fist holding the collar of my shirt. "But if you ever cost me victory again, I will personally see to it that you'll pay the price."

"Classic Bry," commented Ace, drinking the last of his soda. He shook his cup, a disappointed look on his face.

I nodded meekly. I was honestly afraid of this inkling. His X rank was reason enough not to mess with him. His personality was just a plus. Were all X ranks like this? I didn't want to offend him any further. "O-Okay," I said, hoping he'd take that answer.

Thankfully, he did, letting me go and sitting down in his chair. He picked up his cup from the table and sipped from the straw, looking like he was finally calming down. I took this opportunity to relax as well, feeling relieved that he wasn't angry anymore.

My phone buzzed, and taking it out, I saw that it was a text from Nem-Nem. Apparently the ink that had stained the carpet had vanished. This wasn't really surprising, but it was a relief. Ink that was naturally made from an inkling normally vanished up to an hour after it had touched oxygen.

The tanks that we non-inklings use are actually special, using a strange technology that used inkling cells to produce ink slowly over time. It usually gave non-inklings a disadvantage in turf wars, but it certainly didn't stop them from playing, and it definitely wouldn't stop _me_.

I texted her back, telling her about how the turf war went. After a minute, I received a text back, with Nem-Nem saying she was sorry about the loss. Smiling, I texted her back, saying it was okay, that I had Ace with me.

Then, all of a sudden, I got an immediate text back.

**Nem-Nem: Ace? Who's Ace? Is it a boy?**

I looked at Ace, then at my phone before answering.

**Amelia: He's just this really nice guy.**

******Nem-Nem: What's his motive?**

 ******Amelia: Motive?**

 ******Nem-Nem: I'm just curious. Some boys can't be trusted.**

 ******Amelia: Nem, he's cool. He hasn't done anything wrong. He even got me a soda**

I waited for her response while listening to Ace and Bryson chatting.

"Splatfest is coming up this Friday," said Ace. "You ready?"

"I'm always ready," answered Bryson. "I drive my team to victory each time."

"What's the theme again?" asked Liv.

"Uh, what was it... Old versus New, I think," said Ace.

I looked back at my phone as it buzzed in my hand. Looking at the message, I breathed a sigh of relief.

**Nem-Nem: Just be careful, okay? Stay alert.**

I smiled and texted her back.

**Amelia: Thanks, Nem. You're awesome. <3**

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I commented, "Old versus New?"

"Yeah," answered Ace. "There's been a bit of a trend going on lately, where some inklings are trying to go back to older traditions, while others have been trying out newer things."

"My pops was talkin' about it," said Bryson. "Says he misses the old days, where things were 'more intense' or somethin' like that, but if you ask me, I think his days were childsplay. I saw his old videos too, from when he used to enter tournaments as a kid. I could have easily taken on the inklings he battled."

"Shouldn't diss your dad like that, bro," said Ace. "There's a reason he was number one back in his day."

"I'm not trying to _diss_ him," replied Bryson, leaning back in his chair. "I'm just saying I think that inklings weren't as hardcore as they are now. I mean, think about it. I can do his tricks, and _more_ , because this is a new generation with new strategies."

Liv quietly sipped her soda, her head down and her eyes up, looking Bryson's way. "What do you think, Liv?" I asked, catching her attention.

"I kinda like the new, but... from the old, we've learned so much," she replied. I took that into consideration. My dad wanted to teach me all sorts of things, but I could never really understand the things he tried to show me. He would often try to explain the subjects in simple ways.

I could understand some things, like outer space and the planets and stuff, but when it came to his favorite subject, like genetic manipulation, I could never grasp it. My brother could, though. My brother, Mark, was obsessed with the science of evolution, and he'd read my father's books on the subject.

I then remembered something, a flashback. A week before I went into the cryopod... I remembered my father, sobbing. I had knocked on the door, asking if he was okay. When he opened the door, I could see behind him, so many pictures of human anatomy on the wall. My brother sat behind him in a chair, holding a book, his eyes gazing at me with an odd emotion I couldn't decipher.

Was he... cold towards me?

"Dad, what's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nothing, sweetheart," he said in a gentle tone, his voice cracking a bit. "Your brother and I are just discussing important things. We've hit a crossroad, is all. No need to worry."

"Can I help?" I asked.

My dad turned to my brother, my brother shaking his head. Dad then looked at me and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Amelia," he said. "This is a private matter. This... goes beyond your understanding, and that's no insult. It goes beyond most people's understanding."

I didn't know what to say. I just looked at my brother, blood running cold as his eyes pierced my own gaze. This was the first time I'd ever seen him so indifferent towards me. I slowly nodded, and my dad patted my head before closing the door.

The next day after that conversation, my brother was back to his normal self, happy, carefree, even offering to hang out with me like he usually did. As for my dad, he pretended the conversation never happened, never bringing it up after.

Sometimes I wondered if that talk between them was about the cryopod...

"Amelia? You there? Yoohoo," said Ace, waving a hand in front of me. I snapped out of my trance.

"What?" I asked.

"We were asking you what side you're picking for the splatfest this month," said Bryson. "I suggest you pick New."

Splatfest was a festival that inklings held, one that pitted two teams against each other, bringing out the best of the best. The events were so random, it was unknown when they'd actually be held. It'd actually been two years since the last Splatfest, Chaos versus Order, and from what I remember, Chaos won.

"Um... Old," I replied, favoring my old life.

"Nice," said Ace. "Same here."

"What? Seriously?" asked Bryson, offended. "Ace, we've always been on the same team!"

"Eh, I've always preferred the older fighting styles," said Ace." My dad taught me everything I know."

"Fine," said Bryson. "I suppose I'll be beating you down this Splatfest."

I looked down, staying quiet. My mind kept wandering back to my brother. If he was still alive, did he miss me? And if he did, why hadn't he come to find me? I shook my head and stood up, Bryson looking at me with a confused expression.

I looked up at him, a determined expression on my face. "Good luck?" I said, holding out my hand.

He took it into his, shaking it. "I won't need it."

And so, my first taste of turf war life was realized, my mind having doubts already, but I won't waver. I'll do what I can to keep in good spirits.


	3. Small Glances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few truths are revealed through small glances.

_“Look, I’m not saying nothing should ever change. I just want to protect the balance I’ve found in my life.” - Marina Ida_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

_“Hurry up, newbie!”_

Three days into my training, and I was exhausted. Bryson had very reluctantly agreed to train me when asked by Ace. Bryson seemed to see this as an opportunity to get back at me for making him lose a match for the first time.

I was running as fast as I could, wielding my dualies. We were in a massive warehouse, completely empty, so it was easy for us to practice here. Bryson had set up multiple cardboard cutouts of Turf War celebrities, and I was supposed to ink them all within three minutes.

Bryson had heard from Ace that I couldn’t go squid, and so Bryson was very harsh on me for it, saying that if I couldn’t embrace my ‘squid nature’, then I’d be forced to train my legs. How I wish I _could_ go squid…

“Move those legs, newbie! I want you inking that next target in three seconds!” shouted Bryson. “Don’t make me come over there!”

I quickly aimed my dualies, firing blue ink at a cutout of who I assumed was Marina, a member of a singing duo known as Off The Hook. As I was running, I could hear Ace talking to Bryson.

“How’d you reserve this warehouse?” asked Ace.

“I didn’t,” answered Bryson. “It’s my dad’s. He’s got connections with Kensa, remember?”

“Oh, right,” replied Ace. “Sometimes I forget you’re rich. That’s kinda weird, cuz I still see you doing turf wars.”

“I don’t do turf wars for cash, bro,” said Bryson. _“I do it for the spotlight.”_

“C-Can I stop running?” I timidly asked, running out of breath.

 _“NO!”_ answered Bryson. “Keep your butt moving! This is what you get for not going squid!”

“I’m sorry!” I shouted, running faster. My legs were screaming at me to stop, but I didn’t want to face the wrath of _Bryson_.

Ace ran beside me, grinning. He seemed to run so effortlessly. “You seem pretty tired. That’s kinda odd,” he said. “I’ve never met an inkling who got tired so easily. You’ve only been at this for an hour so far.”

“O-Oh, really?” I asked. Did inklings not get tired as easily as humans? Made sense, I supposed. “I, uh, must not have slept well.”

He mouthed, “Okay,” silently, still running. In fact, in what looked to be some kind of display to show off, he went up ahead of me, leaving me in the dust.

As I inked another target, he asked, “Yo, Amelia. Wouldn’t we be able to get this over and done with if you just went squid and swam to the targets?”

What…?

I shook my head. “I, uhh, I’m really bad at it.”

“Oh, c’mon,” said Ace, a sincere smile on his face. “Every inkling can change into a squid. That’s our base form. It’s literal muscle memory.”

These questions were a little concerning. I just ignored it. Up ahead of me was a pile of wooden crates, with more targets on top. I looked at Ace, then asked, “Uh… C-Could you help me up?”

Ace stroked his chin, then said, “Alright. Only for you, though.”

Was… was he pitying me? I didn’t like the sound of the tone in his voice. Maybe I was just paranoid. He cupped his hands together, letting me step on them. He then lifted me up and onto a crate. I pointed my dualies at the targets, and then I fired.

After splattering them with ink, I turned to climb down, then jumped back as I saw Ace on the crate with me, saying, “Yo!~”

I fell back. Ace, with quick reflexes, grabbed onto my beanie to try and keep me from falling, but… I fell back anyway, my weight being too heavy. I landed on my back, pain surging. “Ow,” I muttered, trying to register what had happened.

I looked up, seeing Ace holding out his hand. I took it, and he just stared as he pulled me up. “Yo, Amelia. I’m no expert, but… that doesn’t look natural.”

I then realized, seeing my beanie in his hand. I felt the top of my head. My hair had been exposed. I quickly grabbed the beanie back from Ace and put it back on. “Y-You saw nothing!”

Ace looked at the beanie, then looked into my eyes. There it was: judgement. He looked down, then sighed. “Continue your training for a bit. I’ll talk to you the first chance I get, okay?” he asked, his eyes looking back up into mine.

There didn’t seem to be any ill intent. Whenever I looked into Ace’s eyes, there was always something in them that made him seem more genuine than the other inklings.

After a half-hour of running, I had finally inked the last target, collapsing onto my hands and knees. Looking up, I saw Bryson, shaking his head with an unapproving look. “You _scrub_ ,” he insulted. “I guess you don’t _want_ to be the best.”

“I do!” I managed to choke out, my lungs burning. “I’ll do anything to be the best!”

I was suddenly kicked in the side, falling over. Bryson pointed his umbrella at me. “You’ve got a lot to learn, soldier. No one makes Bryson lose and gets away with it. I’m going to make you cry and beg for mercy, _you got that?_ The world is tough, and you need to be _tougher_. By the end of the week, you’ll be ready for Splatfest.”

I nodded, finally catching enough air. I could see Ace behind Bryson, checking his phone. His eyes caught a glimpse of mine, our gazes meeting for a second before he looked at Bryson and said, “Wanna wait outside for a bit, Bry? I wanna talk to her.”

“Why? We’re training,” said Bryson.

“Just wanna get her on the right chapter,” said Ace. “I’ll buy lunch.”

“Alright,” Bryson replied. “Crusty Sean’s?”

Ace nodded. “Mhm.”

Bryson walked toward the door, and as soon as he had walked out, Ace knelt beside me, tilting his head as he stroked his chin in deep thought.

I looked down, feeling caught. I didn’t want to meet his eyes again. Although they were genuine, I still felt the judgement. I felt like he was the one who’d decide my fate. He could tell anyone he wanted, and that scared me.

He looked down at me and sat down, his legs crossed. “Amelia.”

I receded, leaning away from him a little. “Yeah…?”

“C’mon, newbie…” He put his hand on my shoulder. In that instance, I felt a sense of reassurance. For as such a short time as I’ve known him, I’ve never really ever seen him act mean, rude, or even aggressive.

“Amelia,” he softly said. “Please tell me what’s going on…?

He had caught me. I don’t think I could’ve been able to come up with any other excuses. “Please, don’t tell,” I whispered, scared, tears building up in my eyes. I didn’t want my dream to end this soon.

“Don’t tell them what?” he asked, sitting down, his legs crossed.

“I… I’m not an inkling,” I admitted, my hands clenched into fists. “I’m fake.”

Ace stroked his chin some more. “You might not be an inkling, but you’re certainly no fake,” he said, smiling softly. As I looked up at him, my vision blurry, I almost broke down.

I reluctantly took off my beanie, revealing my hair. Ace looked at it with interest. When he pulled his hand away, he held a loose strand in between his fingers, holding it before his eyes.

“Not exactly a fashion trend, but it could work,” he said. “Wanna explain what this is?”

“It’s… called hair. Real hair. Not like squid hair,” I explained.

“You’re one of those things, aren’t you?” he asked. “What are they called…? Mammals?”

I slowly nodded. “I’m a human.”

“A human?” Ace repeated in bewilderment. “But that’s impossible. You’re supposed to be--”

“Dead,” I finished for him. “I know.”

“How?” he asked.

There was no word for cryopod in the inkling language, so I had to explain it somehow. “Think of a coffin,” I said. “Now imagine that the coffin freezes you when you go inside. I was put in one, and I slept, for ten thousand years.”

“Sounds a little hard to process,” said Ace. “You look like me,” he said, reaching out his finger to poke my nose. I flinched a little, not expecting that. “I don’t see why I should be worried about this. You’re keeping this a secret from me when it’s not even a big deal? You’re no monster.”

I was surprised. He was so understanding about it. “You won’t tell?” I asked.

“You don’t want me to?” he asked back. I shook my head and he smiled. “Then I won’t.”

I sighed in relief, feeling like a huge load was lifted off my shoulders. I couldn’t help but smile. Things were looking up. Now all that was left was to get back to training with Bry---

“Hey, Ace, isn’t Crusty Sean’s closed because of---” Bryson stopped and stared at me, noticing my hair. “Ugh… You messed up badly on that form,” he said. “ _Not_ fresh.”

If this was seriously how inklings would keep reacting to my human features, why did I even bother keeping it a secret? I threw my arms up in disbelief. Ace chuckled, then said, “Yeah, Amelia, you need to get it together.”

At least Ace was willing to play along for me. I was thankful for that. Bryson, however, wasn’t laughing. “Geez… _Noobs_ ,” he insulted. “I want that fixed by Splatfest,” he said. “I will _not_ have some student of _mine_ fail the most _basic_ of functions.”

“I’ll work with her on it,” said Ace. “You don’t need to worry.”

Bryson huffed. “Hmph! Anyways… You wanna try a different place? I think Crusty Sean’s is closed today.”

As they talked, I scrolled through my squidphone, trying to get some more info on the Splatfest coming up. This would be my very first one, and I wanted _all_ the details. From what I could gather, the Toni Kensa company would be watching this one, offering to make the most skilled inkling the next fresh face of the brand.

Toni Kensa was a world-famous fashion designer who had a flair for the unique when it came to weaponry. When he was only sixteen, he had developed the Booyah Bomb, a special attack that came with the Kensa Splattershot Pro, a rival to another Splattershot Pro developed by the Forge company.

Bryson grabbed my arm without warning, quickly pulling me up. “Get up, newbie! We’ve got a lot of turf to ink! No breaks!” he shouted. “Wait, actually, you know what…?”

“What?” I asked.

“I’ve decided I’m going to help you with your shifting,” he said. “You’re either going to go squid, or die trying, and we’ll do it by the time Splatfest starts.”

Ace looked at me, then said, “Uh, Bryson, maybe you shouldn’t--”

“I know what I’m doing,” said Bryson. He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning a hint of red. “I, uh… used to have the same problem.”

Ace shook his head. “I think we should lay off that.”

“Ace, don’t,” said Bryson. “I have a _duty_ , and it’s to get this girl into shape. The others will wipe her out if she goes into battle untrained.”

Ace looked at me, and I looked back, both of us with concern on our faces. Ace then asked, “Bryson, do you trust me?”

“That’s a _dumb_ question. Of course I do!” answered Bryson. Ace took him aside and walked away from me, the two whispering. I was deathly afraid. Ace took it well, but Bryson was unpredictable. I didn’t know how he’d react.

_“WHAT?!”_

Oh boy.

“Impossible,” he said, walking over to me, looking me over with a judging look on his face. “Humans _can’t_ be that smart. This goes against _everything_ I was told!”

“We are!” I replied.

“My brother Jacob is a researcher of both Teuthology _and_ Anthropology,” stated Bryson, stamping his foot. “There’s no way he’d tell me a lie. He said so himself!”

Anthropology, of course, was the study of humans, and Teuthology was the study of early cephalopods and how they came to be inklings. I looked down, very nervous.

“Look, Bryson,” said Ace, taking Bryson’s hand and pressing it to my forehead. “I can confirm she’s the real deal. Her temperature is _way_ higher than any inkling’s, even when we’re sick, we don’t come this close.”

Bryson quickly pulled his hand away, looking at me as if I had the plague. When he saw the hurt in my eyes, he sighed. He looked at me, studying me, his eyes taking in every detail, especially my hair. “Okay,” he breathed out, his hands folded together. He pointed both index fingers at me and asked, “Are you here to conquer our world?”

“What?! No!” I answered. “Why would I do that?”

“Well, _obviously_ , your kind is extinct, or at least, _supposed to be,_ ” he answered. “It’d be ideal for you to try something sneaky when no one expected it. Why else would you be _disguised_?”

“Because I don’t want some scientist trying to dissect me!” I countered. “I’ve seen it on television, how your scientists act! Nem-Nem even told me that could happen!”

“Nem-Nem?” asked Bryson, an eyebrow raised.

“I… She’s a sea anemone,” I explained. “She doesn’t want me to reveal myself. I was lucky enough to be able to tell Ace, but I _didn’t_ expect for _you_ to find out!”

“Oh, wow,” said Bryson. “Do I really come off that way?”

Ace facepalmed. “Bryson…”

“What?!” Bryson asked, both arms in the air in question. “I can be trusted! I’ve kept _your_ secrets!”

“Don’t forget, Bryson, she just met you,” explained Ace. “She doesn’t know you’re a nice guy under all that… personality.”

Personality…?

“Well, I’m _offended_ ,” said Bryson, turning away and crossing his arms with a “ _Hmph!”_

Ace couldn’t help but smile and laugh. I saw him try not to, but he just couldn’t stop himself. He put a hand on Bryson’s shoulder. “Bryyyyson,” Ace said.

 _“Whaaaaaat?”_ replied Bryson, an annoyed tone in his voice.

“You want a sundae?” asked Ace. “I’ll get you _all_ the toppings. C’mon. You know we’re sorry. Plus, I literally found out seconds before you did.”

Bryson’s eyes went wide, looking at Ace with disbelief. “What? You know how much _cash_ that is? Don’t try to cheer me up like _that_.”

Ace wagged his eyebrows. “ _C’moooooon._ It won’t be any trouble. I didn’t need the cash anyway. What am I gonna do, buy doubles of my gear? I’ve even got all the ability chips I need for Splatfest.”

It seemed that Ace’s smile was infectious, because Bryson began smiling as well. “Fine. Apology accepted,” he said. Then he turned to me, a serious look on his face. _“But that doesn’t mean I won’t go easy on your training,_ **_noob_ ** _. I will use all I have at my disposal, because you forget, I’m_ **_rich_ ** _, and that means I can rent out any place I want as long as I pay the cash. If you can’t keep up with me, then_ **_forget_ ** _about becoming a pro.”_

“And don’t forget to have fun!” added Ace.

If I were an inkling, I’d probably splat _myself_ just to get away from his wrath. I stood up. “So, here’s the things you need to know about me,” I began. “I’m still a human, so I have bones that can break, muscles that can bruise, and I can run out of breath if I run for a long time. I could end up… you know…”

“So?” asked Bryson. “Just tie yourself to a spawn point.”

“I… can’t,” I replied.

“What do you mean you _can’t?_ ” asked Ace, his arms crossed, the inkling now with an expression of concern on his face.

“The spawn points in turf wars don’t recognize me as any creature it can reconstruct,” I explained, disappointment in my tone. “If I’m ‘splatted’, I’m gone forever.”

Ace walked up to me, then put his hands on my shoulders. “Then why are you participating in a game where inklings are splatted every minute?”

“Because I _really_ love the game,” I answered, looking up at him. I didn’t realize it until now, but he was slightly taller than me. I wasn’t sure how that made me feel, to be honest.

“You’re telling me that you love this game so much, that you’d risk a _permanent splat?_ ” he asked, his eyes judging.

I looked down, avoiding eye contact. He was going to do what Nem-Nem did and keep me from playing. “Mhm,” I answered quietly.

I didn’t expect what happened next. He suddenly pulled me into a hug, my cheeks going red as I blushed. What was going on?

“You’ve _definitely_ got inkling spirit, even if you’re not one!” he exclaimed.

I was confused. “You’re not going to stop me from playing?” I asked.

“Not at all!” he said. “If anything, Bryson and I will just teach you everything we know. Besides, remember when that blaster hit you? Couldn’t do a thing. We’ll just make sure you’re covered.”

Bryson looked at Ace and said, “Now that you mention it, my brother _does_ have an old set of gear he said I could use if I felt like it. He’s outgrown it. It _should_ be about her size.”

I couldn’t believe this. My mind was having trouble handling that fact that I may have found my best friends for life. These inklings were willing to stick by me, even _Bryson_ was offering gear. I couldn’t…

Ace saw my face. “Woah, are you _crying_?” he asked.

I clenched my hands into fists and nodded. It had been the first time since I slept in the pod that I had people my age to hang with, to share secrets with, to joke with. I never thought I could ever find friends like this here, especially with my secret.

He laughed and let go of me. “Don’t do that. I’ll get you a sundae, too!”

That only made me cry even harder.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

After having dried my tears, I took Ace up on his offer, and after, we went to Bryson’s place, and believe me, it was just as intimidating as he was. In the southeast part of Inkopolis, there was one building that stood above all others, and it was the Annaki company building.

As we went in, Bryson guided us across the lobby and into the elevator. After getting in, Bryson pressed the button for the top floor, the elevator starting its ascent. From the speakers, I could hear the song from my dream.

“What song is that?” I asked.

Bryson sighed and said, “It’s Calamari Inkantation, by the Squid Sisters. Geez, I knew you were a noob, but I didn’t know you were uncultured as well.”

“I’m sorry,” I replied. “It’s just that Nem-Nem and I listen to older music most of the time.”

“This ‘Nem-Nem’ sounds boring,” he said. “Don’t worry. Stick with me, and you’ll be the freshest kid on the block.”

When the elevator door opened, we exited into a large room with very fancy furniture, wall decor, and other things. Up on the wall was a flat screen, showing the news, but it didn’t really look like news to me, because all I saw were segments about gear.

On the opposite wall were picture frames, many of them in black and white. I looked to Bryson and asked him, “Who are these people?”

“My ancestors,” Bryson answered. “And they were all number one at one point in their lives. As for me, _I intend to be number one throughout all of history._ ”

“Wow,” I said. “Your family must be proud.”

Speaking of which… An older inkling stepped out of the elevator, with dark skin and piercing orange eyes. Wearing a black suit and holding an umbrella, he was almost like Bryson. Bryson stared at him with… fear?

“What’s a common creature doing here…?” the older inkling asked, his eyes glancing over me. I felt like he could see right through me with those stern eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of a judge who knew what you had done, and was about to deliver your sentence.

“Edward, please,” Bryson quietly said.

“Hmm?” The inkling known as Edward looked up at Bryson. “Was that… whining?”

“No, Edward,” Bryson quickly answered, looking down, pushing the tips of his two index fingers together. “I’m sorry, Edward.”

Edward looked at me, then looked at Ace, who waved. “You, I know,” Edward said to Ace. Edward then looked at me and asked, “What rank?”

“S rank!” Bryson blurted out. _What?!_

Edward scoffed and said, “She doesn’t _look_ like S rank.” He then noticed my shoes and asked, “What are these?”

“Uh, Kensa, sir,” I muttered, looking away. His eyes were piercing right through me, and I didn’t like it one bit. There was this aura about him that made me want to hide. Who was this guy…?

“Hm…” Edward got onto one knee, inspecting my shoes. “Well, you don’t have _terrible_ taste… It’s average at best. If you really _are_ S rank, I expect to see you do well in Splatfest.”

He looked at Bryson and said to him, “Well, I guess you weren’t wrong. I’ll believe it for now. Just make sure she doesn’t touch father’s things. You know how he gets.”

Bryson kept his gaze downward. “Yes, Edward.”

Edward’s expression changed from one of seriousness to one of sympathy. He stood up, walking over to Bryson, then put a hand on Bryson’s head. Bryson still looked down, staying still.

“Bryson,” said Edward, making Bryson jump a little. “You know why I’m hard on you.”

“Yes, Edward,” said Bryson.

“Bryson. I only do this because you’re supposed to be the next big thing,” said Edward. “You haven’t lost a single match so far. For that, I’m proud.”

I flinched at that statement. I had made Bryson lose, but I’d keep it a secret for him, at least. I could feel the guilt eating away at my stomach. I suspected that this was one of Bryson's brothers, and they must have been important enough for Bryson to be treating them with such fear and respect.

Edward looked at me once more, the obvious suspicion in his eyes that I wasn’t really S rank. He was right, though. “Anyways,” he said to Bryson. “I can’t stick around. I only came to get my keys. I need to test some new weapons, so I won’t be back until nine, maybe ten. Annaki scientists are always getting on my back for rushing to finish early.”

After grabbing his keys off the table in the center of the room, he walked out the door, his eyes darting to me before he closed the door. I felt a shiver run up my spine. As soon as I was certain he was out of hearing range, I asked, “Who was that?”

“My oldest brother,” said Bryson, taking off his beret, one tentacle hanging down the side of his face. “He expects a lot from me. Because one of my brothers took a different career path, it’s up to me to carry on the family legacy. My brother has already reached number one status, and he’s retired, so now he’s got me on a strict training schedule.

I didn’t expect to hear any of this. Bryon really wasn’t who I thought he was. Ace put a hand on Bryson’s shoulder, and I couldn’t help but say, “I’m sorry.”

“Why are _you_ sorry, noob?” Bryson said, quickly picking his usual personality back up. “I don’t need sympathy from you.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. No wonder Bryson was so hard on me. His own brother was hard on _him_. Bryson was just doing what his brother had taught him. “Yes, sir,” I said, quickly adopting the attitude of a turfer in training, smiling.

“So,” said Ace. “You’re giving her the suit, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” said Bryson. “It’s normally reserved for those in X rank. If you were a regular turfer and tried to buy this, they’d turn you down.”

“What suit?” I asked, a little confused.

“It came out about a month ago,” said Bryson. “A suit that’s supposed to be revolutionary. Kensa’s been struggling to keep up with it, too.”

I was still confused. “What’s so special about it?” I asked.

“It has _two_ main ability slots,” said Bryson, smirking. “It was only recently approved by the Squid Research Lab, being the first of its kind.”

“That sounds… like cheating,” I commented.

“All’s fair in ink and war,” said Ace. “I don’t mind it. If it gives _me_ a challenge, I welcome it.”

“Besides,” said Bryson, “all of that tech is gonna be transferred over to regular gear before the end of the year, so everyone is still on equal ground.”

Inkling technology never ceased to amaze me. When my dad was still alive, he was obsessed with technology as well. In fact, he was very interested in biotechnology and bioengineering, and so was my brother, Mark.

He’d discuss theories with dad centering around how some sea creatures were able to extend their lifespan, like the Turriptosis Dohrnii, also known as the Immortal Jellyfish, a creature that can reverse its own age when it’s threatened or harmed in some way.

Dad was probably _too_ obsessed with it, honestly… There were nights when he’d stay up and mutter to himself, writing down things in his notepad. Sometimes, my brother would even stay up with him, both of them talking about how immortality could be implemented.

I think that, because we were nearing extinction, my dad was desperate to do everything he could to create the technology needed with the funding from the Japanese president. Of course, he never succeeded. If he did, I wouldn’t be here.

As for my brother, he wasn’t interested until he started reading dad’s books when he was ten. I was around five years old at the time, so I could never really remember how he acted when he wasn’t obsessed.

If my brother were with me right now, he’d be around nineteen years old. So… that meant he was fifteen when we went into the pod. I just wished I knew where he was, or at least had a hint if he was okay.

“Amelia? You’re spacing out,” said Ace, waving a hand in front of me.

I blushed, embarrassed. “O-Oh, Sorry!”

“It’s cool,” he said. “Ready to try on the suit?”

I nodded, a little excited to see how it worked. Bryson walked in from another room, holding a wad of something gray, with two white stripes going down the middle. He tossed it to me, and I caught it.

“Is there a restroom where I could change?” I asked.

Bryson pointed to a hallway. “Down there, last door on the right,” he said. As I passed by, he also gave me a helmet and boots. “Take these, too. They’re part of the main outfit.”

I nodded and went into the restroom. After struggling to get in, I looked in the mirror, seeing a gray, helmeted figure look back at me with a red visor. I couldn’t see my face inside, so I guess the anonymity was a sure thing. The suit, although it was skintight, was comfortable, the fabric stretching as I moved freely. My boots, however, I especially liked. They were a bit big, but they had this amazing gray and white color scheme, fitting the rest of my outfit.

As I walked out, I could hear Ace and Bryson talking in the main room.

“What? I can’t!” said Ace. “It’d be weird, you know?”

“Why not?” asked Bryson. “Dude, this kind of thing doesn’t really happen very often.”

I walked into the room, asking, “What kind of thing doesn’t happen very often?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” said Ace, smiling as he rolled his eyes. “Just, uh, things.”

“Things?” I asked.

“Yeah,” said Ace. “Things don’t happen very often.”

...What?

“Okay?” I said. “Um… How do I look?”

Ace gave a thumbs up. “Lookin’ fresh! Though, I’d probably choose a different color scheme.”

“This was before they were thinking about colors,” explained Bryson. “Most prototypes don’t go for looks, so it's just the final product that does.”

To be honest, seeing out a red visor didn’t do much for my vision. “Do I really need this helmet?” I asked. “It’s kinda hard to see out of.”

“Did you turn it on?” asked Bryson.

Turn it on…? I felt around the helmet with my hands until I found a switch in the back. Upon switching it on, the redness faded away, making it much clearer. “Oh! This is _much_ better!”

“It’s supposed to be based off of Cuttlegear’s tech,” said Bryson. “Took us a long time to reverse engineer it.”

“What’s Cuttlegear?” I asked.

“Cuttlegear is a brand company that sells military armor to both inklings and octarians,” explained Bryson. “They take no sides, even though the majority of their company is made up of inklings.”

“That doesn’t really sound right,” I said. “But, then again, dad used to say it was the big companies that were to blame for everything. I never really understood how they were involved, though.”

“So, how exactly _did_ your species die?” asked Bryson.

“Bryson, dude, don’t,” said Ace, putting a hand on Bryson’s shoulder.

“No, it’s fine,” I asked. “Um… How do I say this…? We did it to ourselves,” I said.

“How?” asked Bryson.

“A horrible weapon,” I answered. “A weapon far worse than anything I’ve seen inklings make.”

“Impossible,” said Bryson. “How can _one_ weapon destroy an entire species?”

“I know it sounds impossible, but…” I tried finding a way to explain it to him. Dad tried to explain the science of it to me, but I could never understand it fully. “From what I remember, they were nuclear bombs, and they were so powerful, that after they exploded, there’d be something left behind called radiation, which could still kill people within the area.”

“That sounds… scary,” said Bryson. “Why would you _make_ that?”

 _“Bryson,”_ warned Ace.

“No, it’s fine!” I answered. “I didn’t make it. I could barely understand it. All I know is that they used it on the…” I’d never heard of a word for the antarctic in the inkling language. “The south pole of the planet. There used to be ice there.”

“That’s weird,” said Bryson.

I shook my head. “Enough about that. I want to train. This topic is starting to make me miss my old life.”

“Sure, Amelia,” said Ace, looking glad to get off the subject. “Why don’t we continue our training?”

“Sure!” I explained, excited to try out this gear. As we walked out of the room, I couldn’t help but asked, “Won’t your brother know it’s me if he sees this armor?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Bryson, stroking his chin. “Darn… How do we fix that?”

“I can think of a way,” said Ace with a smirk. “You guys up for some inking?”

\----------------------------------------------

On our way to the warehouse, we had encountered Liv, who had overheard our conversation on redesigning the suit’s color scheme. From what she had told us, she was apparently a fan of fashion, and wanted to help.

Inevitably, we did let her in on my secret, and even though she was surprised, we had all agreed to keep it a secret. Apparently, helping her up at that turf match put me in a positive light in her eyes.

As we walked into the warehouse, Liv asked me, “So, why hide from the others, but let us know?”

“Nem-Nem told me I was supposed to keep hidden because the inkling government might want to dissect me,” I answered. “As for you guys...“ I smiled. “I trust you.”

Liv, sighing, rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, I know a lot about keeping secrets. Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thanks, Liv,” I replied.

“It’s no problem at all,” she replied. “Now then… Let’s start inking!”

Ace had put the suit on a mannequin and had placed that mannequin in the center of the warehouse. He wanted to make a game out of it for some reason, a reason I probably couldn’t understand. I felt like it was just in his nature to act as if life was a game.

Liv had given us tanks filled with a special kind of ink. It _was_ inkling ink, but after being converted through some kind of process, it became resistant to the air microbes that normally ate away the ink after a turf war. “Okay, guys! You ready?” she asked.

I held my dualies up in indication, Live pulled out a brand new blaster, Bryson readied his umbrella, and Ace… he was holding a monster of a weapon. It was a Hydra Splatling, the most powerful of all splatlings, capable of splatting an inking within a single second.

From any human’s perspective, it looked like it was a completely original design, but upon inspecting it further, one would find that it was partially made up of pieces from a fire hydrant in the base. The cylinders were a shiny metal, and the way it spun and whirred made me shiver.

_I’d do anything to wield such a thing, to feel its power and mow down any pathetic turfer who dared to cross my path, slowly climbing the ranks until I reach the very top! I would become Hydra Queen, and all of life would tremble at my awesome migh---_

Amelia, snap outta it,” said Bryson, snapping his fingers in my face. “ **_Noob_ ** . Stop daydreaming. You’re not even _ready_ for the Hydra yet.”

“How did you know?” I asked, surprised.

“It’s every turfer’s dream to try out a Hydra at least _once_ ,” he answered.

“Not mine,” said Liv. “I’d rather use a combination of tactics with my weapons. Going in using brute force with a Hydra has a lot of risks. Plus, I think this blaster is way nicer. Just got it today. I’ll name it Blast Cap!~”

Bryson looked at Liv and said, “Don’t act like such an octarian.”

Liv laughed in a weird way that made me curious. “Oh, gosh, yeah. Those _darn_ octarians,” she said.

“Enough yappin’ guys!” said Ace. “Let’s let loose!”

Liv, Bryson, and Ace all let loose with their weapons, and so did I. There was only one thing I couldn’t help but notice. We were all using different ink colors. As we pelted the mannequin, I could see the suit being doused with a rainbow of red, blue, green, and yellow.

When it was finished…

“It looks… fresh?” said Liv, questioning herself. “Not one of my better ideas. The idea seemed good on paper, but…”

The suit was very mismatched, with all four colors clashing like nobody’s business. In essence, it was kinda like a strange postmodern art style. “Think your brother would recognize that?” Ace asked Bryson.

“I don’t think even the _inventors_ would recognize it,” replied Bryson.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Liv.

“Test run?” Bryson suggested.

“Test run,” we all agreed at once.

As soon as we agreed, we all headed out to Deca Tower. Heading into the tower, the colorful lights popped up as usual. We quickly selected the area. This time, we’d be doing a turf war in Mako Mart.

...Wait, what?

Before we were transported, I asked Ace, “Why Mako Mart?”

“Are you kidding?” asked Bryson. “It’s essential for learning the differences between high and low ground combat. Always try to stay on the high ground. If you can, you’re sure to win.”

As we appeared on the metal spawn point, I wasn’t surprised to see that all the customers were moving elsewhere. Me and Nem-Nem shopped here all the time, and so, when I was lucky enough, I’d get to see a turf war from another part of the store.

Across the stage, I couldn’t see our opponents. The shelves of food were in the way. I simply readied my dualies and hoped for the best. “Okay,” I said to myself, taking a deep breath and exhaling. “This is where my training pays off.”

“Good luck, **_noob_ **,” said Bryson.

I just took it as a compliment and replied, “Thank you. You, too.”

“I won’t need it. I make my own luck!” he said as my phone beeped, the match starting. He jumped down and inked the side of a shelf of breakfast boxes and swam up to the top, gaining high ground immediately.

Ace held his Hydra Splatling and immediately inked the turf green before us, giving us an easy advantage already, but this was only a small fraction of a much larger store. “You go to the right,” he said. “I’ll ink the left.”

I nodded. I then turned to Liv and asked her, “Wanna come with me?”

Olivia smiled and readied her blaster. “Sure!”

As we ran, I noticed three things. One, there was a sale on ice cream, two, I probably shouldn’t focus on ice cream, and three, Liv wasn’t swimming through the ink. Instead, she was running beside me.

I actually felt grateful for that, knowing she’d stay next to me. This boosted my morale a bit. As we went down an aisle, there was an inkling up ahead, fully clothed in what looked like a motocross helmet, a red ski jacket, and trail boots. The visor was closed, but I could feel his rage as he jumped, lifting his roller high, ready to fling ink from it in our direction.

I quickly jumped back, and so did Liv. She fired her blaster, catching him in its short-range explosion. Noticing that he had taken damage, he dove into his own ink as… _an octopus_.

“Liv, that’s an octarian!” I warned. “Be on your guard!”

I had never heard of octarians participating in turf wars. From what I knew, they were the enemy of the inklings, and they were scary smart. Liv looked at me, then shook her head. “We’ll be fine. Just continue the match as normal.”

This confused me. Why was she so casual about this? Nevertheless, she was my friend, and so I took her word at face value. I nodded, trusting her. She had obviously known more than me about this. How much she knew, I wasn’t sure, but I’d trust her all the way.

“He’s swimming up the shelves,” she said. “We need to get up there.”

“Well, then go squid,” I said.

“No,” she answered.

“Why not?” I asked.

“This is the perfect opportunity for you,” she said, looking back at me with a smile. She ran over to the shelf, then motioned for me to come over. “Climb on me! I’ll lift you up! We’re gonna help you learn how to use high ground to your advantage.”

I really liked this idea. Grinning, I ran over, climbing. She helped push me up onto the top of the shelf, where I stood up and ran at the octoling as soon as I saw him. He looked at me, holding his roller with only one hand. How was he so strong? I could never hold a roller like that.

He pointed it at me, then said, “You’re going down, scrub.”

Something about that statement made me tense up. Regardless, I held up both my dualies, trusting Nem-Nem’s weapon. I hit the roll function, the dualies dragging me forward within splatting distance. In order to dodge, he… _backflipped?!_

He had performed a backflip at the last moment, landing on another shelf. He lifted his roller and flung ink at me as he swung his weapon back down. The ink hit me, and I was knocked back, covered in purple ink. He jumped once more and swung downwards again, flinging more ink at me.

When he figured out I couldn’t be splatted, he stepped forward. “What is this…?” he asked.

He looked at his roller. “Faulty equipment, maybe…? No matter,” he said, raising his hand, a splat bomb materializing. “This is more than enou--!!!”

A flurry of ink hit him from the side. Before he could even turn to look, he had exploded into our team’s ink. I looked to my left to see Ace, grinning. _“Beware!”_ he shouted. _“I am the Hydra Kiiiiiiing!”_

Fresh.

I stood up, then waved at him. He waved back, shouting, _“Booyah!”_

Booyah?

Bryson, from enemy territory, shouted back, _“Booyah!”_

Then it hit me. I remembered now. This was a popular thing for turfers to say when they’ve either scored a victory or are just having a fun time. I shouted back at Ace, _“Booyah!”_

He gave me a thumbs-up, then continued his slaughter, raining down ink from above with his hydra.

I spotted an inkling below me on the ground and aimed my dualies, firing at her. She hadn’t even seen me, and so, as a consequence, I was able to splat her, taking her down. I shouted once more to Liv, _“Booyah!”_

Liv, however, didn’t shout back. She seemed too preoccupied with an enemy. After hitting an enemy inkling with a direct blast and splatting him, she finally shouted back, _“Booyah!”_

This was good. I was having a good time, we were winning, and I finally felt like a decent competitor. Bryson was right. Being up here _definitely_ made a difference. Throughout the match, I’d rain down ink with my dualies from atop the store shelves, snagging easy victories.

There were still times when I had encountered the octoling. He was easily able to keep up with Ace and Bryson, dodging their attacks and splatting them in return at times. He was so nimble with the roller that, at first, I thought it was a carbon roller, a more lightweight model.

However, upon closer inspection of his weapons, I noticed that it was a Kensa Roller. Those were an expensive kind, and medium weight, meaning they weren’t too light, but they also weren’t too heavy, either.

As I looked over to Liv, I could see she kept down below. It was an odd tactic, one that I didn’t really understand. Didn’t Bryson want us up here? I got on my hands and knees and reached my arm down. “Liv! Up here!” I exclaimed, grinning.

Liv took my hand and I pulled her up. She was… incredibly light, actually. I guess it kinda made sense? These inklings were always so fast and flexible. It’d only make sense if they were light, too, but then… how could she lift me up?

Some more science I didn’t want to go into. Dad tried to teach me. He really did. I just couldn’t understand biology or physics like my brother could. It made me wonder who dad was more proud of. Shaking my head clear of the thoughts, I held up my dualies.

“See where the octoling went?” I asked.

“Don’t have to focus on him alone,” said Liv, her back against mine. She also appeared to be on the lookout for others. “There’s other opponents, too.”

What was her deal with this? She seemed to want to ignore him. “You okay?” I asked. “Do you know him?”

She shook her head before firing off her blaster, taking out an inkling below us. “Octolings compete here _all the time_. It’s normal.”

“But they’re the enemy,” I said.

“Sometimes an enemy can still be a person,” she said as she took out two more inklings.

What did that even mean…?

I shook my head, ignoring it. My phone finally beeped, and from I could tell, we had completely covered the field. My first taste of victory made me breathless, and from what I could tell, this would only be the beginning!

As I hugged Liv in excitement, my eyes caught a glance of the helmeted octoling. In my mind, he was looking right at me, but I couldn’t exactly tell, because the visor was covering his face. My victory mood soured a little, intimidation taking over.

Something told me this wasn’t the last I’d see of this guy.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

As I was sitting across the kitchen table from Nem-Nem, eating dinner, I couldn’t help but think about the octoling from earlier. An enemy was behind that visor, yet Liv said octolings competed all the time.

Have they just been hiding under our noses the entire time? How long have they been doing this? I did know one thing, though. Something was going on behind closed doors, and I wanted to find out what it was.

“You okay, kiddo?” asked Nem-Nem before taking a bite of fish from her fork. “You seem down, but from what you told me earlier, you won.”

“I’m sorry, Nem. It’s just…” I didn’t know how to tell her.

“It’s not that boy, is it?” asked Nem-Nem.

This surprised me. “What? Why would it be Ace?”

“I don’t know how puberty affects humans,” said Nem, “But I _do_ know how it affects inklings. Boys can be pretty clumsy going through it, and they can do stupid things.”

“Nem, what are you talking about?” I asked. “It has nothing to do with boys.”

“Sorry,” replied Nem-Nem. “It’s just that I’ve been through some ups and downs with guys at your age. A lot of them got me in trouble, wanting to act like a cool kid.”

“Well, Ace isn’t like that, and we’re not even… you know. We’re just friends,” I said, looking down at my food. Tonight’s dinner was fish fillet. Considering the world was made up of aquatic life now, the idea of them eating other fish, even if those fish weren’t as sapient, confused me. Then again, different world, different morals.

“I’m just worried,” said Nem-Nem. “Don’t want your heart getting broken.”

She really did care about me, and there _were_ times where I wanted to call her my mother, but I was always afraid she’d reject my view of her. Four long years of doing everything together, and yet I was _still_ afraid.

“Thanks, Nem,” I replied. “I appreciate the concern.”

“Always welcome,” she answered, smiling.

The doorbell rang, prompting Nem-Nem to stand up from her chair. “That must be David,” she said.

David was the archeologist who had found me in my pod, stating that I was extremely lucky to be alive. Today was the twenty-seventh, which was when he normally visited every month. When he had first found me, he couldn’t understand me, and I had been very scared of him.

He did everything he could, eventually luring me out with food. I had been starving at the time, my body having not taken any energy in ten thousand years. It was some kind of chocolate bar, which, oddly enough, prompted me to wonder later how inklings were able to invent recipes so similar to what humans had made.

I had stayed in a tent for the next few days while he talked on the phone, trying to find anyone he knew and trusted enough to take me in. That person was Nem-Nem, and I haven’t left her care since.

When he had introduced me to her, I was very hesitant, terrified of her looks. I had thought she was a monster, but…

I had been really wrong about her… I still feel guilty for that.

When Nem-Nem opened the door, I saw him, with his grayed tentacled hair and green eyes. His hairstyle was a little unique, with just one long tentacle bit going down the back of his head. Everything else was flat, almost as if there wasn’t anymore hair, looking as if it was shaven. It’s hard to explain when it comes to squid styles… I could never really understand it myself.

“Ah, Nem-Nem!” he said, smiling, his tired eyes still full of life. “My friend. We have much to talk about.”

“Come on in,” said Nem-Nem, stepping aside.

After he walked in, he spotted me as I was cleaning my plate at the sink, his smile vanishing, his eyes making him look very thoughtful. “Ah… Nem-Nem. There’s something I think Amelia should have.”

“You brought her a gift?” she asked.

“You _could_ say that,” said David. “Not the word I’d use, but… close.”

After I put my plate away, I walked over. “Hello, sir,” I greeted. Nem-Nem had taught me to respect the older inklings, as they had a lot of experience. To me, though, it was just like my mom teaching me to respect the elderly.

“Amelia,” he said. “Come take a seat,” he said, walking to the couch. I sat down, and he sat next to me. “Amelia… What do you remember right before going to sleep?” he asked.

That was an odd question… “I remember my dad,” I said.

“Anything about your brother?” David asked.

“No,” I answered. “He went in before I did.”

“Ah, I see,” he said. He cleared his throat. “Amelia. Ever since I had found you, I had gone back and forth to the site for short periods, doing my own research on my own time, having never entrusted the secret to anyone. This trip, having been my fourth trip, I had found something that caught my eye while I was trying to clear the area of debris.”

“What did you find?” I asked, intrigued.

“Paper, with a language I can’t understand,” he answered, reaching into his pocket. He pulled it out, and upon seeing the writing, I could instantly notice the English language on it.”

“May I…?” I asked, holding out my hand.

He nodded, handing it to me. “But, of course. You’re probably the only one here who can read it.”

As I looked it over, my heart sank.

_Amelia, this is Mark. I don’t know how to operate your pod. You were supposed to wake up when I did, but it’ll be okay. If your pod opens while I’m gone, stay where you are. I found someone who will help us. Stay safe, please._

Oh, God. He was alive. He was really alive. My eyes went blurry with tears. “Where did you find this?” I choked out, trying to keep myself together.

“It was underneath some vines near your brother’s pod,” he said. “It must’ve been covered up somehow over the years.”

“This is a note… f-from my brother,” I said, shaking a little. I clenched the paper tighter, my chest hurting. He was alive. He had found someone, but who? And why didn’t he come back? “How long ago was this written…?” I asked.

“You’d be surprised if I told you,” he said. “This kind of paper is made by the Enperry company, a company I _work with_ , and I _know_ it only went into stores six years ago.”

My heart nearly skipped a beat. He had found the inklings. But… if he did, why haven’t I found him yet? In all of Inkopolis, I have not once seen him within my four years here! “H-He’s alive,” I stammered. “I know he is!"

But wait. What about the vines. I looked at David and asked, “But, how could the vines on his pod grow so quickly?”

David chuckled. “As an avid gardener myself, I can tell you that these kinds of vines can easily grow twenty feet or more a year. They’re very popular on this island, too. Doesn’t take too long for them to overrun the place.”

So, from what I know now, my brother might still be alive, and I needed to find him. The only problem was… where do I look?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be coming out soon.
> 
> Keep in mind that this WILL be a full-fledged story. Not your average half-baked fanfiction.


	4. Hidden Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bryson always gets revenge and Olivia has a few hidden truths to her.

_“You're not so free if you've gotta work a nine-to-five. Pearlie wanna PLAY. ALL. DAY!” - Pearl_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“So, lemme see if I heard you right,” said Bryson, sitting next to me on his large couch. Everything in his home always seemed to be extra large or extra fancy for some reason. I guess that was just how the rich lived. “You want me,” said Bryson, “to use my own time and money on finding your brother, a human, who may or may not be alive, in a city full of inklings, that he may or may _not_ be in, even though he has been missing for possibly _six years_?”

I idly drummed my fingers on the arm of the couch, looking down, looking away from him. “Mhm,” I replied, just barely nodding. I didn’t want to ask him at first, but on my own, I didn’t think I could _ever_ find Mark. 

“Amelia, just _letting you in my home_ is enough to get me in trouble,” said Bryson before sipping from his soda. I shrank into the corner of the couch, feeling embarrassed that I had even asked.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I guess I can’t get over the fact that he’s been gone for so long…”

Bryson brushed a tentacle out of the way of his vision, then he took off his round sunglasses, revealing his surprisingly _very_ blue eyes. I had never known what color they were until now. “Look… I know what it’s like to lose a brother. I lost one of mine a long time ago. That’s something I will rarely ever talk about.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again, feeling hopeless.

He placed a hand on my shoulder, a firm grip clenching it. “I can try to ask my dad, or one of my brothers. Dad’s got relations with the Kensa company and Edward’s got partial ownership of Annaki. Though, I’m gonna have to fudge the truth a little. Can’t talk about the human bit. That, or I’m gonna have to do it myself. I’ll need help to work a computer.”

“You really want to?” I asked. “I’m sorry for asking you. I didn’t think about how selfish my request was.”

“Quiet, _noob_ ,” said Bryson with an unapproving grimace. . “Don’t ruin the moment.”

I giggled, unable to hold it in. I looked up at him, his gaze catching mine. “Thanks,” I replied.

For some reason, I saw a hint of red on his cheeks. Had I embarrassed him? I hoped I hadn’t. He shook his head, the red now gone. “No problem, _noob_ ,” he said. He let go of my shoulder and leaned against the arm of the couch on his side.

“So, what now?” I asked, feeling odd for just sitting around.

“Dunno about you, but I’m gonna sit back and relax for a bit,” he said, picking up a remote off of the table in front of us. He pressed a button, causing the television to turn on.

The news was on at the moment, a reporter speaking. “In other news, a local inkling has reported a rare phenomenon in which a participant in an earlier turf war could not be splatted by any means. This has caused rumors to float around, stating that it may be a new project being tested by either our own government or by the octarians.”

The scene switched to the outside, showing an inkling in a hockey mask. I panicked. “Th-That’s the inkling that kept shooting me with his blaster!” I exclaimed.

“That freak,” the hockey masked inkling said, pausing briefly, “is a cheater. She shouldn’t even be _allowed_ in a turf war. Judd is taking bribes, and I refuse to believe anything else.”

“What do _you_ think she is?” the reporter asked a female. As I looked closer, I recognized her. She was the inkling with the splatterscope, the inkling who had insulted my ears several days back.

“A cheater, maybe. _Ugly_ , of course,” replied the female, looking at her own nails. “Like, has she ever _heard_ of fresh? My _grandma_ had better fashion sense than her. And her _ears?_ They’re _horrifyingly misshapen._ ”

“Excuse me, did you say _misshapen_ ears?” the reporter asked.

I reached up, feeling my ears. I didn’t really understand why they were considered ugly. I could hear Bryson crushing his can of Tentacola, making me flinch. “ _Not_ fresh,” he commented. He stood up, walking out of the room and down the hallway.

“Where are you going?” I asked, confused.

“I’ve got inklings to hunt down!” he called back. Wait… was he…?!

“Bryson, no!” I shouted after him.

“Too late!” he shouted back with a smug smile as he returned, raising his umbrella. “Got my weapon!”

“Bryson, what the squid?!” I exclaimed. “You can’t just gun down inklings outside of turf wars! That’s illegal!”

“Who said it was _outside_ of turf wars?” he asked. “Nah. I’mma just find ‘em, follow ‘em ‘til they enter one. Then I’m gonna shoot ‘em down through the entire game. Besides, they were on the team that beat me, so now I’ve gotta make sure I get compensation.”

Bryson’s determination was something that couldn’t be stopped. This was something I had learned quickly since I had met him. From what Ace had told me before, Bryson had been like this for a long time, doing as he pleased, taking life by the horns and directing it in whatever direction _he_ wanted.

Though, it did get me thinking about whether or not that was that actually true. Did Bryson _really_ control his own destiny? From what I remembered, Edward seemed to be pushing him towards that goal. My curiosity got the better of me, and I asked, “Bryson? Do you enjoy turf wars?”

He looked at me as if I were insane. _“Excuse me?”_

“I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, sinking further back into the couch. “I w-was just wondering… C-Cuz Edward and… the ‘being number one’ thing and other stuff…”

He facepalmed. “Ugh… _This_ again? Ace already asked me that question, but I didn’t expect to hear it from _you_ . Since _when_ did _you_ care about how my life is?”

I muttered, “S-Sorry…”

“Amelia, I’m _fine_ ,” said Bryson. “This whole thing was what I’ve wanted to do since I saw my brother play. “If I were to be forced into it, so would one of my other brothers, Jacob. He’s a researcher, and actually hates turf wars.”

I nodded. “Sorry for asking…”

“It’s fine,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just didn’t expect _you_ to ask.”

I rose to my feet and asked, “I get very curious. I’m sorry.”

_“Stop saying sorry,”_ he said.

“S-Sorry!” I replied, sorry for being sorry.

Bryson gave a growl of annoyance. “Seriously?”

“Sorr--” I was suddenly interrupted as Bryson’s hand covered my mouth.

“Hush,” he said, looking stern. “You don’t gotta apologize for _everything_. Sometimes you gotta own up instead of apologizing. If you can make up for it before having to say sorry, then do it.”

That made a lot of sense to me. Then again, Bryson _was_ teaching me. I nodded, and he removed his hand. I giggled a little, not expecting to learn such an important lesson at a time like this. I told him, “Thank you.”

“Nah,” he said, walking out the door as he twirled his umbrella. “Don’t thank me. Just get fresh!”

\---------------------------------------------------

Well, he _did_ find them, and he _did_ make them pay for making him lose. I just didn’t think it would have been so brutal.

Bryson, a true professional, challenged them all to a turf war with a special condition. He wanted to take them all on by himself. Eagerly accepting their supposed win, they went in having no clue what he was capable of when he wanted revenge.

I had watched in shock and horror as Bryson went through the ink without making a single splash. No one had been able to spot him until it was too late. One by one, sometimes even two by two, Bryson would take them out using a combination of carefully-placed ink mines and special umbrella tactics. 

I thought I had known his limits, but I had been dead wrong. Although I didn’t want to admit it, watching the hockey mask inkling cry in the end as Bryson hunted him down was… _satisfying_.

I would never question his teachings ever again, for I had experienced true freshness. Afterwards, he treated me to a soda in Inkopolis Square, my face blushing as I sipped from the can and thought back to the fight. “I didn’t think such power was possible,” I commented.

Bryson, leaning back in his chair, feet on the table and arms folded behind his head, said with a smug smirk, “ _Never_ mess with me when I’m angry.”

“Get your feet off the table,” said Liv as she approached. “Who knows what dirt your shoes picked up.”

“Why?” asked Bryson. “The jellyfish will clean it up. They always do.”

The jellyfish of this city. I had nearly forgotten they were a thing. In the inkling society, jellyfish did most of the labor while the inklings played. It wasn’t forced at all, because for some odd reason, the jellyfish _wanted_ to do it.

From what Nem-Nem had told me, the jellyfish had some sort of hive mind, and that they craved to be like the other sea creatures, to be able to have emotions and enjoy life. Most jellyfish didn’t even have families.

When we had once seen a smaller one with a big one at a Chirpy Chips concert, I thought it was a father and his son. Nem-Nem, however, explained that they were merely pretending to be parent and offspring. It was something they did often.

In fact, they did all kinds of weird stuff, just to see what it was like, hoping to recreate the emotions others can feel. In the end, though, they were just jellyfish, hoping to evolve into a creature that could understand emotions and experience true thrills.

“Have you ever _once_ thought they might gain feelings within our lifetime?” asked Liv.

Bryson removed his feet from the table, avoiding eye contact with Olivia. I think the guilt had probably gotten to him. This _was_ a civilization, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was perfect. There were many inklings who took things for granted. Sure, the jellyfish didn’t mind at all, but there was something about it that still bothered me. Had anyone ever shown any thanks to them?

As I thought that, the jumbotron screen above us displayed a commercial for a gym, with jellyfish doing all kinds of activities. I supposed that jellyfish _did_ play quite a big role in some media. I even remember having watched a movie with Nem-Nem about a jellyfish who had finally gained emotions.

Olivia looked at me with a smile. “Hi, Amelia!~” she said, sitting in a chair next to me.

I smiled back, feeling ecstatic from her greeting. Liv had this strange way of bringing joy to any conversation sometimes, erasing all of my negative thoughts from the moment prior. “Hey, Liv,~” I greeted back.

“Splatfest is _tomorrow_ , you guys!~” she said. “It’ll be my first time!”

She seemed really excited about it, and honestly, so was I. I wanted to fight the best of the best, and Splatfest _always_ brought out the fiercest of competitors. “Me too,” I replied. “I can’t wait!”

We both squealed in excitement, making Bryson jump from the sudden noise. He then coughed into his fist, then said, “You know, _noobs_ , there’s a chance you’ll face _me_ if you pick Team Old. _I’m_ going with Team New.”

“W-We can win!” I blurted out. I don’t know why I had said that. I literally just _saw_ what Bryson could do. I had _no chance_ against him. Maybe it was the fire burning inside me, but I shouldn’t have just said that. I knew Bryson would never back down from a challenge.

Bryson stood up. “Alright, _noob_ . Prepare yourself. _It’s going to be an entire three days of pain_.”

As he left with his pride intact, I turned to Liv and said, “I don’t know what I’m _doing!_ ”

She put a hand to her mouth, trying to hide her smile as she accidentally let out a giggle. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We can beat him. We’ve still got _Ace_ on our team. And I’m bringing a friend to be our fourth.”

“A friend?” I asked, slightly tilting my head.

Liv’s smile vanished. She then asked, with her eyes looking thoughtful, “Amelia, as a friend, I know I can trust you, right?”

“Of course.” I said, a little concerned by her sudden lack of happiness.

“I wanna discuss something with you,” she said. “After knowing you for a while, I feel as though I _can_ trust you, considering that you were willing to tell me _your_ secret.”

Amelia trusted me enough to keep her secrets? Something about that made me pretty happy, knowing that she could trust me. “I’ll keep my lips sealed,” I said.

“Then… follow me, please?” she asked.

I nodded, and when we both got out of our seats, I followed her, and as I did, I checked my GPS. The direction we were going in didn’t seem to have anything noticeable other than a few neighborhoods, or at least, that’s what my squidphone said.

But… as we progressed, the city seemed to be grimier with each street we crossed. She took me _way_ downtown, to the parts that were much shadier. I would constantly check my phone to see where we were, as she kept taking me through these alleyways that weren’t even on the map.

Eventually, after a while, I couldn’t even see Deca Tower anymore, and my phone had lost its GPS signal. As we walked down several alleyways, I saw creatures who were the most bizarre.

We passed by a woman who had this tree of blue gel-filled sacs as her head, and a humanoid-shaped shark who was looking at his watch a little _too_ much, not paying attention to other creatures who would lightly push him out of the way to get by.

“Liv?” I asked, trying to stay brave. “Where are we going?”

“My home,” she answered. “If I’m going to show you my friend, then I need to share something with you.”

“Is this really necessary?” I asked as we approached a rusted warehouse. I could hear music coming from the inside, the bass bumping the metal walls and making them vibrate.

She nodded with a smile. “Just trust me, okay? You’re honestly the first friend I had ever met who wasn’t… ahem...”

“Wasn’t _what?”_ I asked.

She ignored my question, knocking on the door. I was beginning to feel _very_ unsure. The door crept open very slightly, an inkling with an afro poking his head out. “Password?” he asked.

“Don’t get cooked,” she answered.

“A’ight,” he answered, opening it wide, lights shining from inside. “Stay off the hook.”

As she stepped in, the afro’d inkling stopped me, his eyes staring into mine with cold suspicion. Liv then poked her head back out, saying, “She’s with me.”

“Fresh,” he said. “Always nice to see a newly-woke.”

_What?_

Liv giggled nervously, quickly grabbing my hand and yanking me into a world of bright colors and rhythmic thumping, electronic music and heavy bass filling the entire warehouse. The room was absolutely packed.

As Liv guided me through the large crowd of inklings, I felt like there were many eyes upon me, and it made me feel _very_ awkward. _What had I gotten myself into?_ I had the urge to text Nem-Nem, but when I looked at my phone, there was no signal.

_Not good,_ I thought.

As we went deeper into the crowd, I could recognize the music, especially that bass. Wait… It couldn’t be. “Liv?” I asked as she kept guiding me. “Who’s music is this?”

“Uh, Diss-Pair,” she answered. They’re playing on stage right now, why?”

I suddenly had the urge to squeal from the sudden burst of excitement, but I kept it in. Diss-Pair was a music duo of inklings, with Ikkan, who was a former member of another band known as the Squid Squad, and Warabi, an amazing DJ who could really bring out the beat in all their songs. He’d even done his own solo remixes of Squid Squad’s original music.

Why, out of all places, would they have been here?

It was hard to see through this crowd. There were a lot of teenagers here, dancing and rocking out to the music, and with all of them being so tightly packed together, you’d think the place was a giant sardine can.

Finally, I was led to a door in the back of the warehouse. She opened it, yanking me out of the crowd and into a smaller room. When she closed the door, the music became muffled, my heart sinking a little as I could no longer fully hear those amazing tunes.

But, now that I was in here, I could smell incense, and it reminded me of the brand Nem-Nem used to keep the house smelling nice. What stood out to me was the odd style of this room, with everything being in both black and white. Black and white dresser, black and white chairs, black and white picture frames, black and white table, black and white carpet, black and white sofa.

But, what stood out the most to me was a large rectangular safe in the corner of the room, with a digital number lock, a key lock, and a wheel combination lock. What could have been in there that was so precious, that you would need a safe like _that_?

There was a male inkling with round ears, gray eyes, and a white, punk hairstyle, wearing clothing consisting of a white vest, black jeans, chain bracelets, and wooden sandals, sitting in a plush chair and looking at his phone. With his size, I’d have to guess he was in his early twenties. Without looking up, he asked Liv in, quite literally, the smoothest voice I had ever heard, “You brought the new girl, right?”

Liv cleared her throat. “Ahem.”

Looking up, the inkling saw me. “Oh, hello,” he said.

I shyly waved, and Liv guided me over to a chair across from the inkling. Why did I feel tense? “H-Hello,” I greeted, sinking into the chair. This thing was _way_ too plush. I felt like I could literally sink into it. I was surprised that I didn’t.

Olivia whispered into his ear, and he nodded in understanding. “A long-forgotten age, hm?”

I was confused. “What?” I asked.

“Don’t play coy,” he said, smiling softly. “I can understand your predicament. We _all_ can.”

“I still don’t understand,” I said.

“She’s not bright, is she?” he asked Liv.

“She doesn’t know yet,” said Olivia. “I was hoping you’d explain to her.”

“Ah, I see,” he replied. “You should have told me that first. I thought you’d tell her before bringing her here.”

“What’s going on?” I timidly asked, feeling like I was among something I shouldn’t be.

“Amelia, yes?” he asked. I nodded. He then continued, saying, “I am Hector, and _you_ are in my domain. I run the place, I host the parties, I hire the bands, I bring the _heat_ to the _cold and lifeless_.”

Talk about a big ego…

“I understand your situation, Amelia,” he continued. “I know what you are, and I can assure you, your secret is safe with us.”

I looked at Amelia, feeling betrayed. “Y-You told him?” I asked. “We all agreed, no one else!”

“It was too important,” she said, avoiding eye contact. “Your kind is actually of great interest to him.”

“Why?” I asked. I desperately wanted to get out of here, beginning to rise from my chair.

Hector pulled an N-Zap from within his chair’s cushions. “Ah, ah, ah. Sit, please.”

“Y-You can’t hurt me,” I said. “I’m unsplattable.”

He closed his eyes, smiling. “Unsplattable, _maybe_ , but that doesn’t mean you can’t feel pain. Don’t forget where you are. There are hundreds of people out there, willing to listen to me."

My short burst of confidence melted away. I sat back down, still looking at Olivia. Why would she do this…? I thought I had her friendship. She just… took it and broke it in two. “Why…?” I asked her.

She looked back at me with somber eyes and replied, “Amelia. I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but now that I know what you are, I couldn’t pass up the chance. He’s been looking for anything human-related for a long time, and you’re… you know...”

“I’ll explain,” said Hector, putting down his weapon. “I don’t _want_ to hurt you. You are free to decline what I am about to offer, as I am honor-bound, as is _all_ of my family. Olivia trusts you. She really _does_ want to be your friend, and I want to be your friend as well, but you need to be patient and listen _carefully_ to what I am about to say. Understand, human?”

Did Olivia really want to be my friend? I had such a hard time thinking that. To think that, after such a short week of being a turfer, I’d end up in such a shady place. It was impossible to predict. Why should I listen to her?

Regardless, I nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact. I didn’t want to look at either of them, feeling powerless and betrayed. “I’ll listen,” I said with a choked voice, trying not to get too emotional.

“Amelia,” he said. “We are special creatures, you and I. Smart creatures, above the inklings.”

“We?” I asked. “But, you _are_ an inkling.”

He shook his head. “No, Amelia, I’m not,” he replied. “Believe it or not, I am an octarian, or better yet, an octoling. Every single person you passed by in that big room out there was either an octoling or an octoling sympathizer.”

My heart rate jumped. _All of them were octolings?_ “W-Wait! Not possible!” I exclaimed. “How?!”

Olivia looked away from me, acting ashamed. I didn’t know what to think. Was… she one of them? My previous battle made more sense now. I now knew why she didn’t swim up the shelves, but took my offer to pull her up. I now knew why she verbally defended that octoling from the battle.

She trusted me enough to tell me this…?

“We’ve been within inkling society for a _long_ time,” he said. “There’s just many more of us now, ever since a certain duo saved us.”

“Duo?” I asked, confused.

He nodded. “The Squid Sisters,” he said. “Famous singers who used their voices to free us from Octavio’s control.”

“Octavio? Who’s that?” I asked.

“She doesn’t know who Octavio is?” he asked Liv.

“She’s still learning, I think,” said Olivia. “Please, don’t be harsh on her.”

“I’m not,” said Hector. “I’m just surprised” Turning to me, she smiled softly. “Forgive me. Allow me to share some history with you.”

I nodded, folding my hands in my lap. I felt like I’d be here for a while. Although I didn’t want to be here, and although I wanted to talk to Liv alone, I didn’t think I had a choice here. There were hundreds of octolings out there, and I didn’t think I could just _run_ out.

“Long ago, when inklings and octolings were both still working together, the sea levels suddenly began to rise,” he started. “We had no idea why this happened, or if it would happen again. Because of this, the _Great Turf War_ began.”

“I learned about that from Nem-Nem,” I stated as politely as possible. I didn’t want to make him angry. I didn’t know his full character, and from how Liv was acting around him, I don’t think I _wanted_ to know. “I already know this.”

He looked at Olivia, then back to me and said, “The leader of the octarian forces, Octavio, is a powerful octoling. In fact, he’s had so much influence that many of us are currently brainwashed, under his commanding grip. It was only when the duo of singers came along that we were able to break free of Octavio’s control.”

What…? “So, you’re the good guys?” I asked, very puzzled. I was having trouble with understanding this. “Like, you’re the ones who broke free?”

He smiled. “Indeed. Many of us are desperate to join inkling society, but inklings don’t trust us, and you can certainly understand why.”

“But, why me?” I asked. “Why are _you_ interested in _me_?”

“Olivia,” he said. “Could you please get me some tea? I want to keep talking to Amelia.”

Olivia quickly jumped to attention. “Green?”

“As always,” he said, nodded and smiling. She quickly left, and the first thing that came to my mind was that I didn’t like the way he just… ugh, but if I said anything, what would happen to me? Was I selfish for wanting to keep myself safe? Should I have said something before she left?

He looked at me with an odd expression. There was something in his smile that was hidden. I knew he was hiding something, but what? He leaned back in his plush chair and then asked, “I’m sorry, did you want something as well? I could get Olivia to get you a soda, perhaps? Just a quick text.”

I shook my head, uncomfortable around this creature. “N-No, thank you.”

His smile went away, a pouty lip replacing it. “What’s the matter? You couldn’t _possibly_ be _scared_ of me, _could you_?”

Scared, very much so. “No,” I quickly answered.

“It’s understandable,” he said. “After all, our evolutionary ancestors were among the smartest of sea creatures. Very formidable, too. Unmatched. A _human_ like _you_ , being the last of your kind among a world of completely alien creatures, would obviously be scared. _I_ would be scared if _I_ were in a world of humans, because although inklings haven’t figured it out yet, we octolings _have_ . We _know_ your diet. _You’re just like us, a predator, eating meat to survive_.”

I didn’t know what to say to that _at all_ . This guy was nutso, and I wanted to go home and be safe in my bed. I laughed, the nervousness in my voice being obvious. “W-Why don’t you just _tell_ me why you want me here instead of sk-skirting around the issue?”

“I simply want to study you,” he said, his voice, for some reason, suddenly sounding more genuine than ever. “I want to know more about your culture, your people, your _fashion_.”

Fashion?

“Believe it or not, I own a brand company,” he stated. “One that’s become very famous over four years.”

“Wait, really?” I asked. “What brand?”

He had the most smug smile on his face. “You’re wearing it,” he said, pointing to my shoes, completely shocking me.

“You own the Toni Kensa company?!” I exclaimed, nearly jumping out of my seat.

“I _am_ Toni Kensa,” he said. “Not my real name, of course, but it’s nice to have anonymity.”

I was stuck in surprise, finding out that Toni Kensa, a fashion artist, was actually an _octarian._ “Wh-Why are, I mean, I, uh, I…” I had lost my words.

“Allow me to tell my story,” he said. “If you will.”

I nodded, still stuck in a sea of confusion.

He started by saying, “Four years ago, when I was sixteen, I was freed of my brainwashing when I was at what I thought was a concert. Having heard the Squid Sisters, I felt as if a veil was removed from my eyes, and when I found that inkling society wasn’t ready for the octarians to join them, I pretended to be one of them, studying their culture, learning their fashion quirks.

“Naturally, I took to collecting anything related to fashion, books, movies, news articles, focusing on what was considered hip and what wasn’t. But then…” He smiled wide. “I found something I never knew could even exist. There was a merchant at a swap meet who collected human-related artifacts.”

Standing up, he went over to the safe that resided in the corner of the room, unlocking it, one lock at a time. When he opened it, there was a large collection of magazines, but on a special shelf inside was a magazine that caught my eye. It had humans on the cover, wearing black and white clothing.

“This,” he said, taking out the magazine, “was what made me famous.”

As he approached me, handing me the magazine, he smiled with great pride. “I _adore_ the human mindset. These people, in _this_ magazine, were _true_ fashion artists! All I could do was take the idea from them!”

He then placed the back of his hand against his forehead as he said, “But, alas, that was _all_ there was! I was so desperate to find _anything_ human related that I had my fellow octolings search out everything human-related that could potentially help me with a new line, a line that would help me surpass the Annaki corporation’s new gear.”

_Oh no._

He got in front of me and placed both hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eyes. “You, being a human, can _help_ me get back on top!”

“B-But I know nothing about fashion!” I replied.

“Ah, but see, I don’t _need_ you to tell me!” he replied.

“What do you mean?” I asked, a little scared.

He let go of me and plopped back into his chair, saying, “All I need is a scan of your memories. It’s quick, it’s painless, and it allows me to see what you’ve seen, letting me draw inspiration from the people you’ve encountered in your _entire_ life. If you let me do this, I will give you _full access_ to every piece of Kensa gear before it’s even out.”

I wasn’t very comfortable with this. _All_ my memories? Even embarrassing bits? I certainly didn’t want this guy probing my brain. “Y-You said I could refuse your offer?”

He looked at me with a serious expression. “You can…”

“I-I refuse,” I blurted out.

“I see,” he said, looking unfocused, staring at the table. “Hm… I’m assuming I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

“Very much so,” I quietly replied.

“I _am_ an octoling of my word,” he said, looking unsure. I was almost certain he’d go back on his promise. “Amelia. Do you know how much this means to me?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“This lifestyle of mine… It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I first broke free of Octavio’s control,” he said, staring off at the wall. “You may not know it now, but my company is on the verge of collapse. Annaki has us in a stranglehold with their new suit. The moment it was announced, inklings stopped saving up cash for Kensa gear. They wanted _Annaki_. I’m lucky enough to have partial business collabs with them.”

“Isn’t that a good thing…?” I asked. “They’re keeping you afloat, right?”

“For now,” he said. “But when they’re done, they do indeed plan to _sever_ the ties between our companies, leaving me on a raft to fend against the vicious ocean of critics. I need something new, something fresh, or I’m done for. I’ll never get to become the one octoling that stood out among the rest.”

“I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I didn’t think of it like that.”

“If you don’t want to be scanned, Amelia, you _can_ be useful in other ways that can keep me afloat,” he said, looking at me. His eyes showed something else in them, apart from all the other emotions. This was desperation. “We’re alike, you and I, two creatures in a foreign world. We can help each other. After all, I _am_ helping your little group of friends in Splatfest while I keep my eye on the other competitors to determine who will be the face of Kensa. I love to multitask.”

“I suppose I can try to describe clothing I’ve seen in my life,” I said, feeling a little bad for him. I didn’t like him, but the fact that he had hopes and dreams like everyone else just made me sympathize. I guess I was just corny like that... “Th-There’s just so much I can remember, you know? Don’t put _too_ much faith in me.”

He grinned, his fangs unsettling me. “Excellent. You will _not_ be disappointed, Amelia. I will make sure you are given access to _all_ Toni Kensa gear!”

I didn’t know about that. Bryson had already given me his brother’s old suit. If I was going to be helping Hector, would he be offended by me wearing the brand of a rival? “About that,” I said. “I… have a friend who gave me an Annaki suit…”

“I see,” he said, looking a little disappointed. “Then our weapons, at least?”

He originally offered gear, and when I told him I was wearing the Annaki brand, he offered _weapons_ instead? Was I taking advantage? _Should_ I?

…

I nodded quickly. As a turfer, I wanted to try out more than just my dualies, just to see if I was good with other things. He immediately laughed when I nodded, making me jump a little yet again. “Ha!” he said. “So eager for the big guns, aren’t you?”

“W-Well, I love turf wars, so… yeah,” I replied.

“Are all humans like you?” he asked. “So eager to get the bigger weapon?”

In my mind, I immediately thought back to what had happened to humanity. Every nation wanted the bigger weapons, and we all paid the price for it. Now that I think about it… seeing all these inklings fight always gave me adrenaline. I _loved_ it, but did that mean I was as bad as the ones who made the bombs…? I wasn’t sure.

I was snapped out of my deep thinking by Hector as he waved a hand in my face. “Inkopolis to Amelia,” he said. “Come in, Amelia.”

“I’m sorry,” I replied. He gave me an expression of both confusion and concern. “Fascinating. Do humans often go into trances like that?”

I shook my head. “It was only me in my family that did that.”

“You have family?” he asked. “Might I ask where they are now?”

I looked at him with discomfort. “I’d rather not talk about it,” I said. Although it had been four years, that still wasn’t enough time for me to be able to talk so openly about it. I doubted that anyone _would_ talk about that so openly.

It was a pain that stuck with you, leaving you feeling empty and desperate to fill the void. I guess Nem-Nem filled the void my mother left, but as for my father and brother…?

Hector’s eyes slightly opened up a little wider as he realized what I had meant. “O-Oh,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

This was an odd meeting. First he had threatened me with an N-Zap, then told Liv to get him tea, mocked me for being scared, then had a heart-to-heart with me about his hopes and dreams, and _now he’s showing concern for what I was going through_?

This octoling was much stranger than any individual I’ve ever met, and even worse, I seemed to be warming up to him. There was always something in his voice that just helped to deliver every line of his perfectly, making me sympathize with him more and more.

Was this how _all_ octolings were? I didn’t know about Liv, but this guy was just _strange_ , and I was honestly wondering whether or not I should fear for my life or not, not sure what level of danger this guy was.

Liv finally came back into the room, holding a tray with a teacup on it. Hector smiled and said, “Thank you.”

He took a sip and took a deep breath before sighing with the most peaceful smile on his face, as if he were lost in his daydreams. Liv looked at me, and as soon as our eyes met, she looked away, looking ashamed.

“L-Liv,” I said.

“No,” she said. “You don’t have to be my friend. I should’ve asked you before I informed Hector.”

I stood up, walking towards her. She backed away, but before she could go out the door, I grabbed her hand. She looked at me, more shame in her eyes, pleading forgiveness. I couldn’t be mad at her.

I didn’t know what was going on with her situation in its entirety, but I wanted to give her a chance, because I honestly didn’t want to lose a friend I had just made a few days ago. I pulled her into a hug, and she froze, my guess being that she wasn’t expecting it.

“I don’t want to end our friendship over something like this,” I said. “Way too soon, I think.”

Hector watched us as he sipped his tea, intrigued. It didn’t take a genius to know that this wasn’t something that happened around him. “Well, now,” he said. “That’s cute and all, but I think we’re done here. I want you to meet me tomorrow inside the Toni Kensa building’s waiting room. It’s on the north side of Inkopolis. You literally _cannot_ miss it.”

Liv gently unwrapped my arms from her, then said, “Yes, sir.”

When we left the room, the party was less active, with only a few octolings hanging around and looking at their phones. I could finally see the stage now that the crowd was gone. There was graffiti all over the walls, the most noticeable piece being the image of an octopus with a spear through it.

It felt a little too violent to me. Actually, now that I thought about it, I never saw ink weapons as being too deadly, but that was probably only because I was human. To these inklings, ink was just as deadly.

Would I have been labeled oddly enough if I had that mindset as an inkling, to carelessly see ink weapons as weapons that killed? But, then again, every inkling and, apparently octoling, had the privilege of being tied to spawn points.

Death was a concept that was meaningless to them. The only time an inkling experienced permanent death would have been through either a horrific freak accident, or from their bodies simply giving out due to old age.

I didn’t have the same privilege as the inklings. At least, not normally. That one incident at Mr. Grizz’s shady place came back into my mind. It said my genetic material was identified. That machine recognized human DNA, and that made me want to learn more.

But as of now, I couldn’t worry about that. Liv was at the center of attention at the moment. She walked with her head down, her eyes looking off to the side to avoid mine. Even though I said it was okay, she still felt guilty.

I probably would have felt the same thing. I knew she didn’t mean it. At first, I thought she had betrayed me, but seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. I had no idea this was her life. I thought she was like any other inkling.

To find out within such a short time of meeting her was jarring, to say the least. “Liv…? W-Wanna talk about it?” I asked, feeling bad that I had almost ended our friendship. I know what she did was against what we all had promised, but I just couldn’t be mad at her.

After seeing how she just jumped to attention when Hector asked for tea, like a butler awaiting a master’s order, I just couldn’t help but feel like she was in a worse situation than I was. At least I had a proper home, a loving caretaker. I didn’t even know if Liv had parents.

Was Hector all she had to help her? Would Nem-Nem take her in if I asked? So many things were running through my mind. It was the most confusing time I have ever had since I had woken up four years ago.

“Amelia, I’m sorry,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’m obligated to help him.”

“Why, Liv?” I asked. Why would she of all people be obligated?

“Hector was the one who helped me break free,” she said. “I was just like any other octoling, doing my job when he suddenly played that song on his phone. It made me realize there was more to life than serving in an army. I never liked hiding in the underground, and being able to come to Inkopolis, it was like a dream.”

“I don’t like him,” I said. “He sounds like he takes advantage of you.”

“Hector’s just different,” she said. “And no, he doesn’t take advantage of me, actually. He just comes off that way. In fact, he’s more like a brother to me. If I refuse, he’ll accept that. It’s just that he’s been under stress lately, and to keep his company from failing, I wanted to help him in any way possible.”

“So you went to me,” I assumed.

She nodded, confirming my assumption. “He was just so _obsessed_ with humans, saying it would help him find something exotic enough to keep his company afloat. When I found out what you were, I…”

“You told him,” I finished for her.

She smiled softly, nodding. “Hector and I were often grouped together on missions, constantly watching out for each other. He was always the aggressive one while I planned out our tactics. Without his willingness to go into battle without fear, I would never be able to win a battle. Hector used to always fail his missions before he met me. We are the perfect duo.”

“Then why do turf wars?” I asked.

“They remind me of the old days, when we’d go on missions together,” she said. “I also want to get stronger, so that one day, if something ever happens to him, I can stand on my own.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“For _what_?” she asked, looking distressed. “I literally just betrayed your trust. I’m no friend. I should be the one who’s sorry.”

“Maybe you can make up for it by still being my friend?” I suggested, hoping she’d accept that.

She looked at me, looking unsure of herself, then said with a sigh, “Fine.”

I smiled, hoping she’d smile back. She did, but I couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not. She motioned for me to follow her, and as we made our way back home, I asked her questions, like what other octolings were like, and how they managed to stay undetected.

From what she told me, octolings began flooding inkling society the moment the Squid Sisters sang their song, wanting to be free from Octavio’s dictatorship. They wanted to live like the inklings, to be accepted.

However, due to the war, it was actually forbidden for octarians to enter Inkopolis, as was agreed on by the two sides when the war ended. Octolings were to remain in Octo Valley, where they supposedly belonged.

Because of this, I had thoughts about what had led up to the bombing of Antarctica. From what I remembered, we were going through a world war, and some country, we didn’t know which one, launched a nuke onto Antarctica, ending the war with the threat of extinction.

No longer fighting each other, we had to fight for our lives.

All the reporters had said the same thing: the water levels were rising past their predicted endpoint. Although all the ice from the Antarctic had melted, the water levels had continued to rise over the years, and no one knew why.

When I was three, my dad had snagged a position in Japan, taking us with him. It was where I grew up from then on. From what the people there had told me, there used to be a tourist hotspot called Tokyo, but it had been swallowed up by the rising waters.

As the waters had risen higher each year, the arguments between my parents would become more frequent. There had been times when Dad would just leave the room mid-argument and shut himself inside his study room.

Liv snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hello? Amelia? You keep zoning out,” she said.

“I’m sorry,” I replied, feeling embarrassed. I did tend to do that.

I found that we had already arrived at the square. My body must’ve been on autopilot while I was deep in thought. Sitting down at a table, Liv stared at her phone, staying quiet. I sat next to her, looking at my own phone, or at least, pretending to.

I desperately wanted to say something to cheer her up, to snap her out of her guilty feelings, but _what_ could I say? Sure, it was… a bombshell, yeah… a _huge_ truth I had just found out, but I still liked her. She was my friend, one of my first real friends in _years_.

“Liv, please don’t feel guilty,” I pleaded. “What will it take for you to see that I forgive you?”

“I know you forgive me,” she replied. “It’s just a feeling that’ll wither away on its own is all. Don’t worry.”

I sighed, accepting her answer. “Alright,” I said. “But I’m gonna buy you a shwaffle.”

Liv shook her head and said, “Please, don’t do tha---”

Too late. I was already in front of the large food truck known as the Crust Bucket, looking at her with squinted eyes. _“You’re gonna eat it and enjoy it,”_ I said. I felt evil sometimes. Was that normal? That’s normal, right?

If you were wondering what a shwaffle is, it was hard to explain. A deep-fried shwaffle was a strange combination of a deep-fried waffle covered in chocolate sauce and fried shrimp. And, get this, the owner of the food truck: he was also a shrimp. A giant walking shrimp.

Different world, different morals.

“Hey, squiddo! What’s kraken?!” said the owner, who most inklings referred to as Crusty Sean.

“Can I get a deep-fried shwaffle?” I asked, holding up a ticket. Nem-Nem would often give me tickets every once in a while, usually once a month. She normally hated deep-fried foods, but wasn’t really against me eating anything like that, so she just gave me the tickets that came in her magazines.

“You’ve got it!” he replied, getting to work on the food. I looked at Liv, and she held in a giggle, a _snrrk_ coming from her throat as she tried her best to keep quiet.

“You’re impossible,” she said, a smile on her face.

I smiled, feeling sly. I’d make her feel better, one way or another, even if it cost me my own precious tickets. I leaned onto the table, grinning wide, doing my best to play the jester. “What weapon are you using for Splatfest?” I asked, trying to get her mind off of her guilt.

“That’s a toughie,” she said. “My slosher was fun, but the blaster is _amazing_. I feel powerful when I wield it, you know what I mean?”

“I’ve never used a blaster,” I admitted. “I’ve only ever had Nem-Nem’s dualies.”

“Nem-Nem, Nem-Nem… I swear, that sounds so _familiar_ ,” she said.

“I’ve said her name before,” I reminded her.

“No, not that,” she said. “I swear that I’ve heard it long ago, but I can’t remember from where.”

“Hm… She used to be a turfer, if that means anything,” I said.

Her eyes widened. “No way.”

“Yeah,” I replied.

She quickly tapped her thumbs on her phone, her tongue out as she focused. She then showed the screen to me. A SquidTube video titled, ‘Nem-Nemone’s best highlights.’ As I watched the video, everything I thought I knew about Nem-Nem had melted away.

There was a young Nem-Nem, probably my age, in the middle of a hectic turf war, ink flying everywhere. She was covered in the pink ink of her opponents, spraying green ink from her dualies. An inkling snuck up behind her, but somehow, she was able to detect his presence, quickly turning around wrapping her arm around him while her other aimed a tetra to the side of his head.

I winced as she pulled the trigger, the inkling exploding in a mess of her team’s ink. I suddenly had an entirely new kind of appreciation for Nem-Nem. Not only was she an amazing caretaker, she was also an amazing turfer. And yet, she went for baking as a career.

“I knew she was a turfer, but I didn’t know she was _that_ good!” I exclaimed.

“Nem-Nemone was a _very_ brief star on the turfing scene,” said Liv. “Never lost a single game, and even made it to S rank. No one knows why she stopped.”

“Nem-Nem seemed to like baking more than turf wars,” I replied, sitting in my chair. “She makes the _best_ desserts”

“I guess I can understand that,” Liv mumbled. “My life was pretty hectic, and a lot was expected from me. I had some big shoes to fill, but…”

I stopped smiling, feeling sympathy. If only there was some way to wipe this sadness from her mind.

_“SHWAFFLE’S DONE!”_ shouted Crusty Sean. I guess maybe there was?

I quickly went to grab the plate, thanking him for his quick services. I then placed the plate on the table in front of Olivia. She looked up at me, a nervous smile. “Do I have to…?” she asked.

“Yep! Every last bite!” I exclaimed. “Anything to help you get rid of those awful thoughts!

The nervous smile was quickly replaced with a more genuine one, an expression of what appeared to be relief on her face. “Fine, Amelia,” she said, picking up a plastic fork from the plate and taking a bite of the shwaffle, the piece drenched in chocolate sauce.

Her smile grew a little wider as she giggled at my antics, having had to play along. I got to her. I knew she couldn’t sulk forever. “How is it?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Great, as always,” she said after swallowing. “I actually come here every weekend with Hector. He’s a _big_ fan of Crusty Sean’s.”

“Well, maybe we can bring him here during breaks at Splatfest?” I suggested. I didn’t really like him, but then again, I didn’t really _know_ him. From that brief time with him, I was still a little shaky.

“Alright,” she said. “Then maybe after we can--”

“Hey! Amelia! Liv!” shouted Ace from atop Crusty Sean’s food truck. He jumped off, rolling as he landed before standing back up. “I see you’ve got a shwaffle right there,” he said. “Mind if I…?”

“It’s _hers_ ,” I said. “I bought it for her.”

“Just kidding,” said Ace, chuckling. “I was actually here to get one myself.”

Ace went up to Crusty Sean and handed him a ticket.. Crusty Sean accepted it, then started preparing the food. Ace quickly hopped up onto the table, his N-Zap pointed to the sky. “We’re gonna _win_ this Splatfest!” he declared. “All inklings shall tremble before our awesome might!”

He suddenly pointed at me and said, “With Amelia, the Dualie Girl Wonder!”

I giggled. “Ace, wouldn’t---”

“And Liv, the Blaster Master!” he interrupted, pointing at her.

“And what are you?” asked Liv before taking another bite of her food.

“I am _THE HYDRA KIIIIIIIIING!”_ he shouted, making several inklings look in our direction, one of them clapping while the others continued their normal business.

I laughed, my hand to my stomach. “Ace, you’re so strange,” I said, holding in a few excess chuckles.

“Strange?” he asked. “Nah! I’m optimistic!”

“Optimism can only get you so far,” Liv chimed in. “You also need strategy.”

“I don’t use strategy,” he said. “It’s _all_ instinct. I’m way up there in X rank with Bryson.”

“If you say so,” I commented. “Just hope we don’t have to face Bryson in one of these matches.”

“Even if we do, we’ll still win!” insisted Ace, pumping his fist into the air. “Bryson’s got _nothing_ on our morale!”

No. It can’t be. It was infectious, that optimism, because I suddenly shouted, _“Yeah! We’ll beat Team New, and we’ll do it with the same techniques that previous generations had used!”_

_“BOOYAH!”_ shouted Liv, startling me, but it was also exciting.

_“BOOYAH!”_ I shouted back.

We both looked at Ace, who grinned before shouting, **_“BOOYAH!!!”_ **

Jeez… Ace’s enthusiasm was already spreading through my mind, making me feel the most pumped up I’ve ever been. Even Liv, who was a little depressed not too long ago, was feeling chipper.

And so, because of this, I was ready for Splatfest tomorrow. It didn’t matter that I may have had the chance of facing Bryson, or that Liv was an octoling. Even if the world was turned upside down, I’d rush at every challenge with my dualies held high, either mental or physical!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm already halfway through the next chapter, so stay hooked. Or rather, stay Off the Hook.


	5. Taking the Lead and Finding One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia participates in Splatfest while also finding a lead on her brother.

_"Family is nice, I guess, but there's nothing better than a close friend." - Marina Ida_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Nem-Nem held my hand in hers, guiding me through the crowd of cheering inklings. It was the first night of Splatfest, and I was so excited that I wanted to bring her along to watch me play. I was eager to show her the skills I'd learned from Bryson, along with a few tricks from Ace.

"Oh, wow. What a mess of people," said Nem-Nem, her hair lighting up in a beautiful glow. "Someone could easily get lost in here."

"Thanks for coming with me, Nem," I said, smiling up at her.

"Well, what can I say? I'm happy to cheer you on," she replied, looking down at me with a smile of her own. "Just don't jump in front of any rollers while I'm watching, okay? You _know_ how my stress gets to me."

_"Ay, Yo! Pearlie's in the house!"_ I heard, looking up at the stage that was recently built into the front of Deca Tower, just above the entrance. There was a large setup of speakers and lights, along with a few confetti cannons as well.

On the stage was a light-pale inkling with cream-colored tentacle hair, with a smooth transition to pink at the tips of them. That was Pearl, who was part of a duo called Off the Hook, and she was known for being pretty loud when she's on the stage.

Standing behind her, working the tech, was Marina, a dark-skinned inkling with the most beautiful style of tentacle hair I had ever seen. Some of them were hip-length, which made me wonder if other inklings could have hair like that by choice or not when transforming.

Her tentacles were black on top, with a white surface underneath, and at the tips, they were a smooth fade to green. Even her fingertips were green. Giving her this style that many inklings fawned over.

"Pearl and Marina are really popular, huh?" asked Nem-Nem. "I remember back in high school when Bob Dub was popular. That dude had a cool attitude."

Nem-Nem would often listen to slow-paced music, mostly Bob Dub or some other band, like Wet Floor, known for their wide variety of genres. Although most younger inklings were into the fast-paced beat, there were still the adults who enjoyed the slower-paced music.

As we listened to the music, I found that Pearl would often take charge of the song's flow while Marina sang in the background. It made me kind of want to hear Marina more, her voice just being more interesting to me. There was something almost hypnotic about it, with her ability to hit the high notes perfectly. Pearl's rapping went well with it, mixing the bluntness of the rap with the grace of the singing in just the right way. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Marina was the main attraction, even if she was in the background.

While we walked through the square, I heard someone calling to me. "Hey, kid! You like fortune-telling?"

Nem-Nem and I looked in the direction of The Shoal, an arcade place. In front of it was an adult female inkling with mixed colors in her hip-length tentacle hair. The colors ranged from pink to blue, to purple, to red, and even to green, the hanging hair glowing in the dark as her luminous yellow eyes looked my way.

Next to the inkling was a table, and upon it was a bowl filled with small seashells, making me wonder if this was something some inklings ate, but I doubted it, as I had never seen an inkling eat anything a human wouldn't.

"Beatrice? Is that you?" asked Nem-Nem. "I haven't seen you since high school!"

Nem-Nem pulled me along, her hand tightly gripping mine. "Who is she?" I asked.

"Amelia, this is Beatrice," introduced Nem-Nem. "She's a friend of mine from high school. She can be a little..."

"Eccentric," finished Beatrice. "I tell fortunes, and I see something within you," she said, pointing at me.

I took a step back, getting behind Nem-Nem. With any problem, I used to turn to Nem-Nem for help. I guess this was just a leftover instinct. I looked up at her, our eyes meeting. I hoped she'd interpret what I wanted to say.

She patted my beanie-covered head. "I'm here with you. Don't worry," she said. "She may seem odd at first, but she's fun to talk to, and she's very friendly."

A sense of security fell upon me as she said that. If Nem-Nem trusted her, so would I. I looked at Beatrice and asked, "C-Could I have my fortune told?"

I _was_ a little curious. I had never had my fortune told before, and my mother, she was always interested in astrology and other myths, being someone who researched pseudosciences. My dad still loved her, of course, even though he disagreed with her beliefs.

Even in the end of humanity, my mom had believed that someone out there, who was above all of us, was punishing us for our mistakes. My dad had often disregarded the claim, saying that there had to be another explanation for the water still rising, despite all the ice having melted.

I didn't know what to believe. Dad would tell me he'd still love me, regardless of what I believed. In the end, I chose to simply take life as it is and just hope there was something more out there. I didn't know what made the universe, whether it was a big explosion or a being from above, and I was just fine with that, because I just didn't want to think about it too much. Maybe one day I would find out.

"Ah, I can see many things," said Beatrice, looking into my eyes. "You are _more_ than who you appear to be.~"

I was a little startled. Did she know I was human? I decided not to ask. "I don't know about that," I replied.

"I do," said Beatrice. She motioned to the bowl of small seashells. Picking it up, she shook it for a full minute, muttering something under her breath, her eyes staring into mine. I gripped Nem-Nem's hand tightly, a little unsettled.

"Huwah!" she shouted, holding the bowl out to me. "Push your hand under the shells and grab a handful. No looking! Take out the handful and show it to me."

I looked at the large bowl, wary as I slipped my hand under the many shells, grabbing a bunch without seeing what I had within my grasp. I pulled it out and opened my hand to show her. She stared, looking very interested as she inspected the different types of shells I had.

"Ahh," she said. " _This_ is interesting."

"What is it?" I asked, a bit worried.

"Don't ever let him go," she said with a crooked smile.

I became very confused. Don't let who go? My brother? "What do you mean?" I asked, wanting a clearer answer.

"Ah, you don't see it yet," replied Beatrice. "Don't worry. The situation will become clear to you in time. Perhaps you haven't hit that stage just yet."

Nem-Nem giggled to herself, then said, "Thank you, Beatrice. You always were very mysterious at times."

"It's really nice seeing you," replied Beatrice, bowing her head to Nem-Nem. "We _really_ need to go get a drink together sometime. My kids can be difficult to handle, so I think some time with an old friend would help me relax."

"You too?" asked Nem-Nem. "They didn't turn fourteen, did they?"

"I'm afraid so," replied Beatrice. She leaned against the wall, looking up at the fireworks as they went off. "They've been going into ranked games lately, already worrying me sick."

"Oh, dear," said Nem-Nem, gripping my hand a little tighter. "I know what you mean!"

"Um, Nem-Nem? Can I go meet with Ace?" I asked, remembering that I had promised to meet him. "We need to start prepping."

Nem-Nem let go of my hand. "Yeah, go ahead," she said. "I'm gonna talk with Beatrice a little and then I'm heading over to the seats to watch."

I nodded and ran into Deca Tower, then selected the option for the Splatfest Lobby, an area reserved for participants who were preparing for their upcoming match. After it teleported me, I found myself in a white room, with lockers on one end where our gear was kept.

In the center of the room was a blue holographic screen, displaying the current clout, which was also known as influence, and Team New seemed to be gaining a lot of it. I was beginning to worry that we'd lose, my anxiety acting up.

I suddenly felt a hand touch my shoulder, startling me. Turning around, I saw Ace, smiling at me. "Hey, Amelia."

"Ace, you scared me," I admitted, blushing from embarrassment.

He laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. Um, hey, Amelia, could we... talk?"

"Sure," I replied. He then grabbed my hand, taking me to a corner of the room.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down, avoiding eye contact. "So... I, um... How do I say this...?"

I was confused. "What is it, Ace? Is something wrong?" I asked, now a little concerned, wondering if something bad had happened.

"No, no," he replied, shaking his head. "I, um... gah... Amelia, hi!"

"Hello?" I greeted back, _very_ confused now.

"Would you like to, um, go with me to see a movie after tonight's battle?" he asked.

I smiled and replied, "Sure! Are the others coming along?"

Ace stopped smiling. Bryson walked up from behind him, with Liv walking next to him, both of them waving at us. "Yo, Ace," greeted Bryson. "You ready to get your butt whooped?"

"L-Let's try to be friendly about this," I timidly said, a nervous smile on my face. I was certain Bryson could see through my false confidence. Bryson got up to me _really_ close, lowering his sunglasses and staring directly into my eyes.

"Am I sensing... cowardice? Hesitance?!" he shouted in question. I leaned back as he leaned _in_. "You've got a lot to learn about Splatfest! In Splatfest, there is _no_ hesitating! If you flinch, you'll be splatted in mere seconds!"

"S-Sorry!" I replied, raising my hands in defense.

**_"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT BEING SORRY?!"_** he shouted even louder.

I swallowed hard and stood firm, standing straight. "Not to apologize if I can make up for it."

"Good," he said. Looking to Ace, he asked, "So did you do it yet or wha---"

Ace clamped his hand over Bryson's mouth, who seemed surprisingly calm about it. I almost thought Bryson would have exploded in fury from such disrespect. Then again, this was his best friend. Even so, why did Ace just...?

"Yeah," said Ace. "It's all good. Just stop talking about it. I'll tell you more after the matches are over."

Bryson looked at me, then said, "I get it."

"Get what?" I asked, genuinely confused by the conversation. What was Ace doing that he wouldn't want Bryson to talk about..?

"It's nothing," said Bryson. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck, _noob_. Maybe you'll face me tonight. If not, then tomorrow."

I don't know why, but... I felt a sense of calm wash over me. I then replied, "Yeah. I'll see you on the battlefield."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

As I stood on the respawn pad, I looked at my teammates. Bryson had brought his Hydra Splatling, looking tall and proud. Liv had her blaster, looking sure and confident, as Hector was right next to her, holding a Kensa Octobrush. Yes. In this world, they had giant paint-brushes, and these weapons were surprisingly effective.

He wore this black vest with some kind of metal sash-plate layered on top of it, and had leather fingerless gloves. What was even stranger were the two belts worn across each other on his waist in a criss-cross. His boots were leather as well, with metal buckles and a metal heel that was raised, making them some form of high-heel boots.

If anything, he looked a little feminine, which didn't really strike me as odd, but it _did_ make me wonder how octoling society worked when it came to fashion. Did they all wear armor like this? Did inklings have this kind of armor?

We were in the Shellendorf Institute, a museum that housed inkling history, along with fossils from ages gone by. Up above us was a massive skeleton of what looked like some prehistoric water beast.

While intimidating, it wasn't going anywhere, suspended by very strong string supports on the ceiling.There were three aisles, one on the left, one on the right, and one in the middle. There was also an option to go up on the glass ceiling that was just below the large skeleton, but I was going to go underneath down the middle aisle.

The reason was because Nem-Nem was watching, and knowing how stressed she'd get, I wouldn't dare climb onto such a high place. Looking to my right and my left, I could see that there had been seats set up for this Splatfest battle, and as I suspected, Nem-Nem sat in the front row. Looking at us from above the raised platform, she drank from her soda, her eyes on me.

My phone beeped, the match starting, and I rushed ahead, and as I did, I was immediately outpaced by Ace and Hector while Liv stayed behind with me, having my back. I wasn't sure if she did this because she still felt guilty or not, but I didn't question it. Right now, my eyes were on a familiar foe walking casually down the middle aisle.

"Oh, look," he said, "It's the freak."

It was the hockey-masked inkling, holding his blaster, and it certainly didn't look like he was with his original team. Were they in another battle elsewhere? I raised my dualies, as if to challenge him.

_I shouldn't have done that._

He dove into his own ink, splashes being made as he swam towards me at high speeds. I aimed and fired, but he was too quick for me. In almost no time at all, I felt his blaster against my back, and just as I thought he was about to pull the trigger, I felt his blaster shaking slightly.

Looking back, I saw Liv, with her own blaster to his back. "Idiot," she muttered, pulling the trigger. He exploded in a mess of our team's ink color, which was a sparkling bronze. Team New had an even shinier silver paint color, which made me wonder if the color designers were biased.

"Thanks," I shakily said to Liv.

"No problem," she said, smiling with a bit of red in her cheeks.

As we continued to cover turf with bronze ink, I looked at the glass cases embedded into the walls. There were so many fossils, all of them dating back to human times. Morbidly enough, I wondered if inklings saw us the same way we saw dinosaurs, or how we saw cavemen.

I bumped into a stone structure in front of me, not paying attention due to my fascination with the human bone fossils. Upon fixing my gaze, I saw that it was a stone sarcophagus, and on it were depictions of inklings.

Mesmerized by the artwork, I didn't see the inkling approaching me. Ace quickly blasted him away with the Hydra's ink, saying, _"Amelia! Snap outta it!"_

"G-Got it!" I replied. What was with me? I fired to my left, hitting an inkling who was swimming through the ink. I was slow, but my aim and my prediction were certainly getting better, thanks to Ace.

I raised my hand, a sprinkler materializing out of thin air, then threw it as far as I could, watching it land near their spawn point. Sadly, it didn't last long, an inkling quickly getting rid of it with a few shots of its ink.

I was pelted from behind, feeling the sting of a .96 Gal Deco. The inkling holding it stared when she saw that I wasn't splatted. "S-Sorry," I said, trying to keep calm about it. "I, uh, can't be splatted...?"

Staring, she simply fired again.

As the shot hit me in the arm, I said, "Ow, yeah, th-that hurts!"

She just blankly stared, intrigued. She looked up at the crowd, then at me, looking very puzzled. I really wished that I had some easy way to explain my situation to her. After some thinking, she merely inked the ground around me and swam away.

I just... felt embarrassed. How could I just play Turf War like this when I was only a human? As she ran off to ink more turf, I just stared at the ground beneath me, inking it with bronze-colored ink. Was I in the wrong for just wanting to play? I probably was, but... it's all I could ever find passion in.

I didn't want to stay cooped up in some small apartment all day. I didn't think my sanity could've taken it. All those days, knowing that I could've had a life just like any other inkling. But... when I look at everything, I would come to the realization that this _wasn't_ my world, and it would only make me cry.

"Yo, Amelia! C'mon! We've got 'em on the ropes!" said Ace as he ran to the enemy's side of the museum.

I gripped my dualies tighter. I wouldn't cry anymore. I'll thrive here. I rushed to Ace's side, holding out my dualies and spraying the ground, replacing enemy ink with mine. I was hit with a few shots from a Jet Squelcher, a long-range weapon. It fired rapidly, my front hit. Luckily, my helmet's visor was able to keep the ink from sticking to it. It simply slid off that part.

I raised my hand, materializing another sprinkler, and throwing it onto the ledge in front of us, making the inkling that was shooting me step back to a safe distance. We had them cornered in by their spawn point.

Or did we?

I was grabbed from behind, two arms wrapping around me. I cried out, and Ace turned around, his Hydra at the ready. He fired, the ink missing as the inkling pulled me down, Ace's ink flying over me. My head hit the hard ground, but I was safe, as the helmet had incredibly effective padding inside. Thank you, inkling tech.

I felt a weapon jab into my side, and I looked down, seeing the familiar blaster. It fired, and I was shot point-blank, a massive amount of pain spreading through my abdomen. Ace fired his Hydra again, but the inkling had already let me go, jumping back in squid form.

"What's wrong, _freak_?" the hockey-masked inkling taunted and he reverted to humanoid form. _"Can't handle the pain?"_

"You're a prick!" I shouted, getting up, my side hurting. That hit was enough to make me shed a few tears. Eyes blurry, I aimed my dualies at him, running and screaming as I fired. He laughed as he dove into the ink, dodging my line of fire and swimming to my side before jumping out with another blast to my hip.

I fell onto my hands and knees. _Not again! I can't handle it again!_

Ace unleashed a full charge, and as he did, the hockey-masked inkling swam off, narrowly dodging. "Come back, coward!" shouted Ace. "Haven't you faced a _real_ splatling main before?!"

I held my side, the pain still present. I felt like something was wrong, but we were still in a match. I stood up, ignoring the pain, trying to stay positive for Ace and Liv. Speaking of Liv, where was---

I was answered with a scream from the hockey-masked inkling as Liv pinned him against bronze ink-covered floor. "H-Hey! That burns! Let me go!"

"You think it's funny, huh?" she asked, a cold look in her eye, a look that made me worry. This didn't sound like her. Her expression was so serious, so full of malice. "You like causing pain? Could've just inked the area around her. She's not as fast as the rest of us. She couldn't even keep up with you. You also know she can't be splatted, so why just torture her?"

"C'mon, l-lemme go and I'll leave the freak alone!" he bargained, his eyes wide with fear. "Seriously, It's getting through my clothes!"

Liv put the blaster to his head, pulling the trigger. He exploded once again in a mess of bronze ink. I shivered, running up to her. She looked up at me and asked, "Bullies don't think, do they?"

"Th-Thanks," I said, smiling, wondering why she got like that.

"It's no problem," she said. "I can't stand those kinds of people. Some just wanna hurt others for being different, and that's a problem we're facing these days. Being who I am, you'd know what I'm talking about."

That made sense. Inklings and octolings didn't exactly get along. Initially, it was the rising waters that caused them to fight, but propaganda made it even worse. No one knew what the octolings went through.

It was only when I had found out that Liv was an octoling that I had accepted them. I used to think they were all enemies, but I was wrong, and that guilt still burned. "Yeah," I replied. "Let's keep fighting, alright?"

She smiled. "No need to."

I was confused until she pointed to the enemy spawn point. Hector had somehow gotten up there, leaning on his brush, throwing the occasional suction bomb. Every time an inkling tried walking off the spawn, he threw a bomb, the inkling forced to step back onto spawn.

They all looked at each other, discussing something. I couldn't hear what they said, but I didn't need superhearing to know what they were talking about. They all immediately rushed him at the same time. He couldn't splat all of them, right?

As they ran up to him, he just stood there, looking calm, smug. He continued leaning on his brush. I was about to call out his name, but I was wrong about his situation.

In a split-second, he stood up properly, twirling the massive melee weapon with ease. He knocked one inkling into another, then spun as the other two closed in on him, his brush rotating at high speeds, both ends hitting the inklings, one exploding into bronze ink, and the other one simply getting knocked out.

The hockey-masked inkling, the one who had been pushed into one of his teammates, fired his blaster as soon as he'd gained realization that one of his allies had fallen. He walked forward steadily, his blaster having an advantage with its explosive radius. Hector only grinned and ran towards him, using his brush to pole-vault high up and over the enemy

As soon as he landed, he jabbed his elbow into the inkling's back, sending them stumbling, then Hector swung his brush diagonally as he quickly turned to face the enemy. The hockey-masked inkling exploded, leaving Hector with only one opponent left.

It was a girl inkling with twintails, looking like a novice, a white headband on her head. She wasn't moving an inch, holding her ground, a newbie with determination, like me. It looked as though she were about to run, but then... her eyes seemed to change. There wasn't determination anymore. There was now some kind of insanity in them. She rushed him, not seeming to care for her own safety, the tenacity only a true inkling would have.

Not surprised in the slightest, Hector twirled his brush, swinging it diagonally at her, but she quickly darted to the side, firing her Splattershot. She gained a pretty good hit on him, but before she could cause enough damage to splat him, he did a quick backflip.

She smirked, something in her eyes telling me she wasn't going to go down as easily as the others. There was something about her, something unnatural. Then, what she did sent a chill down my spine. She lunged, landing a kick to his raised brush after doing a frontflip. Kicking off of him, Hector was sent off the ledge, where Liv caught him.

The inkling came jumping down, firing her Splattershot. Snapping out of my shock, I ran to intercept, my dualies firing. To dodge my shots, she shrank down into squid form, spinning in between the globs of flying ink, just barely avoiding them.

She hit the ground, back in kid form, doing a quick roll and landing with a quick shot to Hector's head. His wide eyes as she unleashed her power showed great puzzlement right before he was splatted. Next was Liv, who had tried to retaliate, but she was quickly kicked down, a shot to her face taking her out.

Then it was Ace who went down, the expert quickly falling to this newbie-turned-god of Turf War. The way she was able to just run so fast, dodging his Hydra's long burst, astounded me. While charging his gun back up, she simply rolled forward and jumped onto the barrel of his weapon, firing her Splattershot in his face and taking him down.

And then... it was my turn. She looked at me with the gaze of a predator, a true squid warrior ready to strike down the last enemy. I was frozen stiff, my fear keeping me in my place as prey. I didn't think I could be so scared, but...

She ran at me, and I aimed my dualies, firing, but like all the others, she quickly dodged to the side, too fast for me to keep up with her. My human reflexes weren't enough. They could never be enough. She stuck her Splattershot to my head and fired, my body jerking and falling to the ground.

Seeing that I hadn't been splatted, she fired again, then again, ink pummeling me in the sides and my limbs. She didn't even look confused. In fact, she seemed to only enjoy it even more that I couldn't die like any normal inkling. There was a sadistic feel to her eagerness.

I heard Nem-Nem's cries, telling me to get up, my caretaker trying to cheer me on. How much time had passed? It felt like forever with all this pain. Where was my team? Shouldn't they have spawned by now? I cried out as a burst of ink hit my neck, the suit unable to soften the impact by much.

I looked at my enemy, tears blurring. "Stop, please!" I begged.

Her smile vanished, the inkling lowering her gun, eyes staring into mine through my visor. "No mercy for the weak," she replied, her sinister grin returning, even wider than before. As she raised her weapon once more, I held up my arm, scared by this inkling who had simply gone mad. _Why was she so strong?!_

Before she could pull the trigger again, a fist came flying, swinging across her face. It was Ace, an angry expression on his face. _"STOP IT!"_ he shouted. On the ground, she looked up at him, her eyes no longer looking as insane as they did earlier.

_Her eyes showed remorse._

She got up, scrambling, not as graceful as she had been earlier, almost as if her previous fighting wasn't even her own doing. She cried loudly, running off the battlefield, her teammates running after her and looking worried.

Ace quickly ran up to me, helping me up. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding very concerned.

I blushed, having been saved yet again. "Y-Yeah... I don't know what happened. She didn't act normal."

Ace sighed and said, "That... _is_ normal, actually."

Confused, I asked, "What do you mean...?"

"It happens sometimes in inklings," said Hector, walking up to us, Liv standing behind him.

"What does?" I asked.

"In inklings, there's untapped talent," he replied.

"We, uh, tend to get over-excited when we're close to losing badly," said Ace. "Most newbies can't control it, but as we get older, we tend to lose some of that tenacity. That girl was probably hit with a bad case of what we like to call Turf Madness."

"B-But she kept shooting me!" I exclaimed. "She looked like she would've killed me!"

"That's what Turf War is all about," said Hector. "We _are_ killing. We just come back."

He was right... What was I thinking? Turf War _was_ killing. The spawn point simply made it easier to turn Turf Wars into a game. Was I... ?

It took me so long to realize it, but...

_I'd been killing._

I'd been killing inklings, and I felt _nothing_ , simply because I knew there was a spawn point. Was this even right? I shook my head, clearing myself of the thoughts. No. I had a dream, and I was determined to live it. As long as the spawn points were there, no one could get hurt.

...Right?

Our phones beeped, the match over. It would take some time before Judd came by to look at the ink, so I simply followed my friends back to the lobby, and on the way there, I caught a glimpse of the inkling girl who had wreaked havoc not too long ago. Her teammates surrounded her, looking concerned for her. Even the hockey-masked inkling looked worried.

Her gaze caught mine, the inkling showing regret in her expression. I looked at her, giving a reassuring smile, trying to make her feel better. I couldn't let her feel bad for something she couldn't control. Her eyes widened and, grateful for my forgiveness, she smiled back.

As we entered the lobby and put away our weapons for the night, Ace walked by and asked if I wanted to go to see the movie. He showed such enthusiasm, and it would've been rude to say no, so... I immediately said yes.

When I asked the others, they apparently all had other plans, saying I should just go on without them. A little saddened, I nodded, not wanting to ruin their own schedule. At least Ace was going. As we got to the theater, we got our snacks and went into the movie room after paying.

It was surprisingly empty tonight, but then again, it was obvious why. Everyone was still celebrating Splatfest. Ace, however, seemed happy to be with me. The movie of choice was agreed upon by the both of us, which was a flick about an inkling and his platoon in the Great Turf War.

The movie grew tense, with the inkling sneaking through the trenches into enemy territory. I was certain he'd be attacked from behind, because the poor guy had no one to cover his back. Suddenly, a huge explosion rang out, and I jumped, startled.

Something cold clasped my hand, and when I looked over, I saw it. It was Ace's hand, holding mine in what I assumed was an attempt to comfort me through the more suspenseful parts of the movie..

I didn't know what to say. He was simply watching the screen, smiling as he enjoyed the movie. I couldn't help but smile as well, his cool touch being more calming than I would have imagined it to be. Watching the movie seemed to be a lot easier because of it.

As we kept watching the movie, our hands stayed interlocked, and I couldn't help but feel warm inside. His hand felt safe, the same hand that wielded a Hydra and saved me on multiple occasions.

It felt nice...

Throughout the rest of the movie, we stayed like that, enjoying each other's company. There were several times where I'd tighten my grip whenever the inkling soldier was almost caught. His spawn point had been damaged, and if he were to have been splatted, it would've been over for him.

Thankfully, he clung to life, going through the enemy forces with everything he had. Although it was just a movie, I had found out before going into the theater that it was based on a real person, someone who had been awarded an entire series of medals for his brave actions.

I enjoyed this time with Ace, and... looking at him, I couldn't help but smile. I didn't realize it until now, but he was kinda cute. I just wasn't sure if he felt the same way about me. Although our hands were touching, I couldn't tell if it was just him trying to comfort me or if he...

I wasn't sure if it was wrong to like someone outside of my own kind, but... to me, he seemed more human than many of the people in the world I used to live in. Was it wrong that I had these feelings for him? I don't even know where these emotions came from in the first place. They were just there, hiding, I guess.

I just didn't know if he liked me the same way.

After the movie, we walked around outside, simply looking at all the different graffiti art that inklings had painted on the walls just for the Splatfest. The artwork was like nothing I had ever seen back on earth. There was such creativity in their works. Some were random, some were carefully-designed turf war depictions, others were simply jokes.

I enjoyed every bit of it, and I wanted to see more of this world. Now that I was free of confinement, I could easily go out and about around Inkopolis with my friends! I almost squealed from the excitement.

Ace sipped his Tentacola with mild interest. He said to me, "You should take up graffiti. If ya wanna be like us, then wall-posting is a _must_."

"Won't the jellyfish be mad?" I asked. "I wouldn't wanna make them clean it up."

"Just use canned inkling ink," said Ace. "It disappears after a while, but the canned stuff is made to last for at least a day."

I was intrigued at how they could alter their ink with such ease. They were masters of their own biology, something my dad would've been obsessed with. "You really think so?" I asked. "What if I'm not good at it?"

"Don't gotta be good," said Ace. "Just gotta find your own style. Don't need fancy realistic drawings. Even a simple circle is fine."

I grinned. "Sure!" I replied. "Where do I get this stuff?"

Ace pointed to a shop across the street. "You'll need to try when Splatfest finally ends, because most of the supply stores are closed during big events like this. Food shops are the only buildings that are open during Splatfest. Everything else is just shut down."

I nodded, vowing to myself that I'd take up the artform of graffiti. I'd never done it before, but I remembered my brother doing it at times. He also loved drawing, and he'd often make sketches of various sea creatures to further his skill.

I wondered if he would've drawn here, too...

"Amelia? What's up?" asked Ace. "You're sulking."

"S-Sorry!" I said, smiling as best as I could. "My mind was just wandering."

"You seem to do that a lot," said Ace. "Something on your mind?"

I didn't know where to begin, honestly. I said to him, "Just miss my brother, is all."

Ace had a look of sympathy on his face. "I can understand that. You wanna talk about it...?"

"I wouldn't want to bother you," I replied, smiling sheepishly. "I don't think it'd be right to bother you with such--"

He put his finger to my lips, saying, "None of that. C'mon, tell me. If I can't at least listen to your problems, then what kinda friend would I be?"

After he removed his finger from my lips, I blushed, saying, "I just wish I could find him. It's been so long, and I'm afraid of never seeing him again."

Ace nodded in understanding. "C'mon," he said, grabbing my hand, dragging me.

"W-Wait, where are we going?" I asked.

"My place," he answered. "I got a little brother who's insanely smart. If anyone can help, he can."

"But won't he tell someone I'm human?" I asked.

"Nah. We're tight like that," said Ace.

As we went further and further away from the square, the buildings were less densely-packed. Eventually, it just looked like a typical span of neighborhoods. At the end of one of the streets was a very old house, with faded blue paint, the chips having flaked off over the years. Being two stories high, it was good for an entire family, but some of the rotting wood would probably make one second-guess that.

Through one of the front windows, I saw an adult female inkling, sitting in a plush swivel chair and polishing an E-liter 3K, an obsolete weapon that was replaced with the E-liter 4K in Turf War combat. It was very rare to see such an older model of any weapon being used by current competitors.

As Ace opened the front door, he shouted, "Mom! I'm home!"

"Did you bring back a souvenir for your little brother?" his mother asked from the other room.

"Yeah, I got him somethin'," replied Ace, guiding me into the room where I saw the female inkling. Still polishing her E-liter 3K, she looked up at us. Now that I had a closer look, I saw that she had very long bangs, and on her ears were very shiny pearl earrings.

"Who's this?" she asked, looking at me. "Is this one of your friends?"

"Mom, this is Amelia," said Ace, pushing me gently forward. I quickly stopped myself in my tracks, looking at her with awe. She was very pretty, and her willingness to keep such an old weapon in good condition made me want to smile.

Her orange eyes looked over my form before she asked, "What are those?"

Seeing that she was pointing to my shoes, I immediately replied, "Kensa, ma'am."

"Hm... Don't take any offense," she said, "but you don't strike me as high-tier. Do you have a main?"

"Light Tetra Dualies," I responded. Why was I feeling so nervous around her? Was I going through some kind of test?

"Very good, very good," she said with a sincere smile. "I can tell you're new to the game. You still have that innocence in your eyes."

Innocence...?

"I am new, yes," I responded. "I'm doing my best."

"You'll go far with my son helping you," she said. "Isn't that right, Ace?"

"I'm doing everything I can, Mom," he said proudly, a big grin on his face. "She'll be in the higher tiers in no time."

"Good," she responded. She then looked to me and asked, "Did you know he used to cry when he couldn't shapeshift properly? Was so worried that other kids would judge him."

"M-Mom!" Ace objected. "Don't tell her that!"

_"Silence,"_ she commanded, and he stood still, nodding, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"All I'm saying is that every newbie goes through challenges," she explained. "Now my boy is in the big leagues, and I'm very proud of him.~"

Ace blushed. I just couldn't help but smile at the wholesome conversation. Ace had a very nice mother. She just radiated confidence and pride, something I wish I had. "I'll do everything I can to reach the top," I said.

"Good," she said. "I bet your parents are very proud of you."

I hesitated a little before I replied, "Y-Yeah..."

Her eyes looked at me, an understanding in them. "Ah... I'm sorry," she said.

I nodded, wondering if my parents _would_ have been proud of what I'd been doing. Would this be bad in their eyes, considering the ethics? I didn't know, and I probably never would.

"Mom, if it's okay, may I go and introduce her to Dimitri?" asked Ace. I could tell he was trying to end the conversation for my sake. I didn't mind the talk, but I did appreciate the gesture. His mother nodded, and Ace led me out of the room and up the stairs.

"Sorry about that," said Ace, going down the upstairs hallway to a door with a poster of some scientists on it. He knocked on the door and asked, "Hey, bro, you got a minute?"

The door opened, a slightly shorter inkling than Ace looking up at us. His wide green eyes, looking through large square-framed glasses, immediately locked onto me and he said, "That's a huma--!"

Ace quickly barged into the room, interrupting and pushing past his little brother, saying, "Close the door. Don't want mom hearing."

As we entered the room, I took note of all its contents. In one corner, there was a large machine with blinking lights, looking big enough for someone to step inside. Next to that machine was a large desk, a personal computer set up on it.

The desk itself was cluttered with many stacks of papers and pencils, a few of those papers laid across the keyboard. Something told me that organization wasn't on a list of this inkling's priorities. The monitor displayed several colored graphs, some of them moving up and down to indicate a change in whatever they were calculating.

On the other end of the room was a small bed with a large bookcase next to it. On the bookshelves, I could see a lot of old books, each of them reminding me of the books my dad used to have, all of them being about biology, technology, or any mixture of the two.

The small inkling boy closed the door and asked, "Ace, what did you do? Did you suddenly go back in time? Did my machine work?"

"Sorry, lil bro," Ace replied. "You still can't travel through time."

"Darn it," replied the inkling. Upon further glance, I noticed he had the same bowl cut as Ace, their hairstyles very similar.

"Amelia, this is Dimitri," introduced Ace. "He's insanely smart, and he even rivals Annaki scientists."

"I'm not _that_ smart," said Dimitri. "I'm _smarter_."

Plopping onto Dimitri's small bed, Ace sighed and looked up at the ceiling, saying, "I know, little bro."

Before I knew it, I saw Dimitri pulling a measuring tape out of his computer desk drawer. He ran up to me and began measuring my arms and legs, muttering to himself, "Impossible..."

I looked at Ace, worried. "How does he know I'm a--"

"Ears don't match that of inklings or octolings," stated Dimitri. He quickly licked his finger and wiped off a bit of the makeup from around my eyes. "Eyes are also different. Most inklings wouldn't notice, but that's because they're not smart enough. I mean, with all the octolings walking around, you'd think inklings would know by now, but most are normally dumb as rocks."

I raised a finger in objection. "Hold on a minute, that's not very nice to say."

"Ace, what's twenty-eight times seven?" asked Dimitri.

"Don't care," replied Ace with a grin.

"Perhaps I should rephrase that," said Dimitri. "They have the _potential_ to be smart, but they're lazy. Hence, they're normally dumb as rocks. All inklings care about is fighting, so... yeah, that's why weaponry and gear is pushed as far as it is."

Dimitri threw the measuring tape aside and went over to his desk, writing down in messy inklish handwriting. "Ace, I don't know how you did it, but I owe you," he said.

"Don't thank me," said Ace. "She won't be around this house for long. I only came to you to help her find her brother."

I could see Dimitri's shoulders lower, the inkling sulking. "Darn it... I'm guessing you want this to be a secret too, huh?"

"Eeyup," replied Ace as he sat up. "You're the smartest guy I know, little bro. We _really_ need your help."

"What do _I_ get out of it?" asked Dimitri, crossing his arms, his lower lip sticking out just a tad.

"I got you what you wanted," Ace answered, pulling out a blue USB drive from his pocket.

"No way," Dimitri replied, eyes wide. He ran over and yanked it from Ace's hand, asking, "How?"

"Mr. Grizz was in a generous mood earlier today," said Ace, smirking. "Right before Splatfest started, I did some of the work I owed him, and even got him to lighten up enough to give me a 'bonus'."

"Bonus?" I asked, really confused.

Dimitri plugged the USB drive into his computer, and as he looked through the files on it, he let out mischievous giggles. Never before had I seen someone so giddy. "This is incredible!" replied Dimitri.

"Dimiiiitriiiii," said Ace in a sing-song tone.

"Whaaaaat," replied Dimitri, his eyes glued to the screen as he scrolled through the gibberish code on the files.

"Our human friend," reminded Ace. "She needs our heeeelp.~"

Dimitri sulked again. "Ugh... _fine_."

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling bad about ruining his magical moment.

"It's fine," said Ace. "He gets over things pretty quickly."

"It's trivial," replied Dimitri. "What's the problem?"

As I explained my entire situation to him, including the cryopod, he had a variety of expressions on his face, mostly of intrigue. Sometimes there'd be some concern, but those expressions would fade quickly as he'd ask for details, such as my brother's interests, his relationship with me and my dad, and his favorite food, oddly enough.

Dimitri turned to his desk, typing up a storm, multiple windows appearing on the screen showing Earth. "If I'm right, your brother is most likely alive if he's as smart as you say he is. More likely, he'd be in hiding as well, not as likely to go out as foolishly as you do."

"H-Hey!" I shouted in protest. "I'm not foolish!"

"You were found out by a ten-year-old," Dimitri said, pointing to himself. _"Foolish."_

"Don't you study human anatomy?" asked Ace as he continuously stared at the ceiling, looking bored.

"Yes," replied Dimitri. "It's important. It's not something _you_ would understand."

"All I understand is that Amelia is a person, _not_ a subject," retorted Ace.

"Regardless, I know where your brother is," said Dimitri.

"Where?!" I asked, my voice a little louder than I thought it'd be.

Dimitri sighed, then said, "If he's an intellectual, then he's bound to converse with _other_ intellectuals. There's the possibility of him working with one of the big brand companies, but I find that unlikely."

"Then where is he?" I asked again, this time a little calmer.

"You're not going to like it," warned Dimitri. "The only place with creatures smart enough to be on par with him or I are the Octarians."

My heart nearly skipped a beat. Would he have really gone with Octarians? "Are you sure?" I asked. "He wouldn't just _leave_ me in that cryopod."

Dimitri seemed to have a look of indifference. "It's likely that the Octarians wouldn't want to let such a subject as fascinating as a human to leave if he came into contact with them. He'd have knowledge of human technology, correct?"

"I don't know how much he knows," I answered. "He's talked about weird things with my dad before, but..."

"Right," said Dimitri. "Unless you can get into Octo Valley, I don't think you'll be able to find him. There's _still_ the chance he could be working with an inkling brand company, but... I highly doubt it."

What was my brother's note made from...?

"Enperry!" I shouted. "He wrote me a note on one of their papers!"

"Enperry...?" queried Dimitri, typing on his keyboard. On the screen, the Enperry company website popped up. "These guys mostly deal in sportswear."

My hopes were immediately dashed. Was my brother going to be forever out of reach?

"Too bad we don't know any Octarians," commented Ace. "If we did, we could just ask them. Then again, Octarians aren't exactly the friendliest guys around."

That was where Ace was wrong. Although he didn't know it, we had Liz on our side. I couldn't tell him now, though. I didn't want to betray Liv's trust, even if she betrayed mine. It just didn't feel right.

"Maybe we'll find someone," I said. "For now, let's just head back..."

Dimitri quickly responded with, "Could I make an unusual request?"

I stared with confusion. "Unusual?"

"Yes, please," he said. "I just want a single strand of hair. I don't know when I'll get another opportunity. I just want to scan it and look at the DNA."

"Gee, Dimitri, that's kind... creepy," commented Ace.

"It _is_ creepy," I agreed.

"Neither of you would understand," said Dimitri, crossing his arms, his lip pouting again.

Thinking over it, I didn't really see any harm in it, so I plucked a single hair from my head, wincing from the tiny split-second of pain, then handed it over. "Here. Just don't ask again," I said, hoping he'd take my words seriously.

"Agreed," he said, pulling a test tube from his desk drawer. Putting the hair in, he said, "You have no idea how much you're contributing to science."

I wasn't sure if I _wanted_ to know.

After that, Ace walked me back home, and I honestly appreciated his company on the way there. Tomorrow would be another night for Splatfest, and I'd definitely be asking Liv for help finding my brother, Mark.

Wherever you are, Mark, I'll find you. _I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was late. I'll deliver another one soon.


	6. Newfound Strengths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia and Nem-Nem spend time together and a sinister presence is revealed.

_"Don't you think fighting so high up is kind of thrilling?" - Marie_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Moray Towers was one of the more dangerous stages. Looking down from atop the tall building, I could see the many cars driving down below. My stomach felt queasy, the thought of falling starting to get to me. I looked at Ace, the fear in my eyes letting him know how I felt.

Ace smirked and said, "Don't worry, we got this. I'll make sure you're safe. Just stay close to me, alright?"

A small, spherical drone hovered around us, its camera pointed at each of us, one at a time. Ace grinned at the camera, and then it panned to me, making me blush. I had never been on television before. The fact that these Turf Wars were broadcasted put even more pressure on me.

I swallowed my own spit, nervous. I was afraid of heights as well, and this Turf War would probably make it even worse. To my knowledge, Moray Towers consisted of two buildings, both connected by ramped roads and a small wide platform between the two goliaths.

Even though I was scared, I had to admit that the stars above us were beautiful, and helped ease my fears a little. But after I had realized I could fall if I wasn't looking where I was going, my fear quickly returned in full force.

I could see the other team on the second building ahead of us. Two of the opponents were familiar enemies. One was the helmeted octoling, and the other... was Bryson. The very thought of fighting on these tall buildings with _Bryson_ coming at me was intimidating.

Hector seemed to be very calm, leaning on his brush as he waited for our phones to give the starting beep. Liv, who I had talked to earlier about my brother, held something slightly different. Her blaster had gotten an upgrade and had become a Grim Range Blaster.

With burst bombs as her sub-weapon and Tenta Missiles as her special, she could fight both short-range and long-range opponents. Although it had a lower rate of fire at about one shot per second, its blasts were deadly to inklings, especially with its increased range. A middleweight weapon to be sure, dangerous in the hands of someone skilled with tactics.

Nem-Nem could see me from another building nearby, able to watch me on the big screen in front of the audience. Looking up, I could see the flying spherical camera drone, its lens zooming in on us. I wondered if Nem-Nem was proud of me. I hoped she was...

Our phones beeped, and Ace grabbed me by the wrist, helping me down off the spawn point. We both began running down the ramps, my dualies and his hydra covering the turf in glittering bronze ink. My heart raced, knowing that I was this high up while still running and covering the turf.

As we made our way down the ramp, I saw the helmeted octoling jump directly down from the top of the other building and down onto the center platform, wielding a roller that was more suitable for crushing opponents, the Dynamo Roller, or more specifically, the _Kensa Dynamo Roller_.

Like most other Kensa products, this roller had a black frame with a white roller cover. Equipped with the Booyah Bomb, it was a force to be reckoned with. The Booyah Bomb was a very effective special move that allowed an inkling to charge up a large ball of swirling ink-composed energy.

It could wipe out entire teams with ease...

As Ace and I reached the center platform, the octoling was already on the move, with his dynamo swinging around, flinging ink. I jumped out of the way, firing my dualies at him, trying to draw his attention while Ace charged up his Hydra.

The octoling swung at me directly, his dynamo flinging large globs of silver ink. I was coated in it, the ink covering my visor. Ace fired his Hydra, hitting the octoling as I quickly recovered. I had to admit that Ace was carrying me quite a bit. Sometimes I felt like such a burden, but after conveying that feeling to Ace, he told me not to worry about it.

 _"Booyah!"_ I shouted enthusiastically. I was pumped, already forgetting about my fear of heights. As long as we were on this wider platform, we were safe. With Ace, I felt like I could do anything, and I owed him for that.

I could see Hector twirling his brush, taking on a Kensa .52 Gal, and Bryson himself on the enemy ramps. Bryson used his umbrella to parry the brush with some difficulty. My mind was a bit worried, however. Noting that the Kensa .52 Gal also carried the Booyah Bomb

Were these guys fans of the Toni Kensa company or something?

I didn't get to figure that out, as I was suddenly hit from behind by a heavy weapon. I climbed up on the raised portion of the roof in the center. It was like a small hill, one I could use to my advantage. ...Right now wasn't one of those advantages.

My back was pelted, pain exploding through my torso. After the shots had finished, I turned around, breathless. In front of me was a Splatling Remix, and with Ace suddenly missing, I was about to face its full wrath.

I assumed it had taken quick care of Ace, its rate of fire allowing it to wipe out its foes with ease, and now that it had slain him, it was focused on me. The inkling unleashed his weapon's maximum charge, my body was blown off the small raised bump, my helmeted head hitting the concrete as I landed on my back.

My vision was blurry, and I didn't want to move. Seeing the inkling stand over me with his weapon aimed point-blank at my face filled me with hopelessness. Why... could I never win these harder battles on my own? Whenever I faced someone with skill, they always had the advantage. Ace was always there, saving me, but he wasn't here _now_.

My eyes would nearly shed tears at the thought of never being able to overcome these challenges on my own. Was I really so weak? These inklings, they were the dominant species now. Humans had their time in the spotlight, and now, here I was, at the mercy of these creatures who could easily hurt me.

The splatling main suddenly pulled his weapon away and held out his hand. I was confused. Why was he helping me? He was the opponent. Regardless, I took it, grateful to get up onto my feet. He looked at me and smirked.

"You're that inkling who can't be splatted, right?" he asked. "Major respect for someone _that_ tough."

He... _respected_ me? I was surprised and confused. Sure, I couldn't be splatted, but... that wasn't because I was tough. He quickly ran off, inking more turf and leaving me bewildered. Did they talk about me? Was I really that well-known? More importantly, would this draw unwanted attention?

I then remembered that I had a match to finish. I held out my dualies, shooting as much as I could. It was slow by inkling standards, but it was a speed I trained so hard just to attain. The seconds counted down, and I began to wonder if the clock was broken. Taking out my phone, my eyes widened when I saw the timer. We had twenty-five minutes left! What had happened to the usual three minutes?!

I then remembered what Ace had told me earlier, right before the battle. As a special treat, the judges had decided to make today's Splatfest battles last thirty minutes. This wasn't going to be good. I had to be up here for twenty-five more minutes?!

I reassured myself that I shouldn't fall off if I stayed in the center of the middle platform. It was pretty big, so I should be safe. I inked as much of the platform as I could, other inklings moving around me to spray the area I was just at.

I was so slow compared to these guys. No matter where I sprayed, there was always at least one inkling I'd have to deal with. So far, I hadn't faced Bryson yet, but that quickly changed when he jumped down onto the platform from above.

He quickly aimed at me, and I raised my arms in defense, expecting a shot to the face. Instead, he just inked the ground around me. I suppose it made sense. I couldn't be splatted, and although he wanted to fight me, he couldn't.

He pitied me, I think, and because of that, I felt self-conscious, continuing to ink turf on my own. Occasionally, the helmeted octoling would try to come after me, but Ace was always there to take him out with a well-aimed spray of ink.

It... felt like I depended on Ace quite a bit... I didn't really _want_ it to be that way. I wanted to at least make him and Bryson proud. For the rest of the time there, I kept inking turf, going in a pattern, from one end to the other.

There were five minutes left, and I was exhausted from running around for so long. I was desperate to keep the platform inked for my team, so I just kept going, not even looking back. I simply sprayed what wasn't bronze.

Suddenly, I heard multiple inklings shouting, "Booyah!"

Confused, I turned around, my eyes widening when I saw one of them floating in the air, a ball of swirling ink energy swelling up above their raised hand as the cheers grew louder. As the sphere reached its maximum size limit, the inkling threw right in front of me.

_The dreaded Booyah Bomb, capable of eliminating any inkling caught in its explosion radius. Developed by Kensa, this weapon delivers a whole new level of power._

I couldn't move, my fear catching me like I was a deer in front of a car's headlights. Unable to get out of the way, I was caught in the blast radius. This was where my body was overloaded. I didn't know why, but my body's senses were completely overrun with a mix of different sensations. Pain, pleasure, happiness, sadness, anger, fear, confidence, doubt, and everything else was running through my head.

My brain was very confused, as I could no longer communicate with the rest of me. As the blast dissipated, I stumbled backward, my vision spinning. I soon passed out, only to gain consciousness a minute later.

I could hear Nem-Nem screaming my name. As I opened my eyes, I noticed that everything was upside-down. In fact, _I_ was upside-down. I was dangling off the side of the central platform, and the person keeping me from falling to my death was a surprise to me.

It was the helmeted octoling, the one who had tried so hard to take a shot at me throughout the match. My mind was sluggish, my fear not registering at all. That Booyah Bomb did something bad to me, but... my mind didn't seem to care. With Ace's and Bryson's help, the octoling was able to pull me up.

I laid on the edge, my body slow. I could see Ace's eyes showing fear. Bryson had his usual serious look. And the octoling... I couldn't see their face at all through their tinted visor. A mysterious stranger who went out of his way to help me.

Ace said something, but I could hardly hear. He seemed frantic as he looked me over with great worry. I wanted to tell him I was okay, but my voice came out in slurred speech.

I heard Nem-Nem's cries get louder as she got closer. "Out of the way!" she shouted.

She pulled me close, clinging tightly. "N-No! I shouldn't have let you out here!"

"Nem-Nem," I somehow managed to whisper, almost incoherent. "Th-The Splatfest..."

She shook her head. "I need to get you medical attention!"

I tried to object, but... the dizziness swarmed over me, and I passed out once again.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

I woke up in a room of white, the sound of rhythmic beeping hitting my eardrums. I tried getting up, but pain pulled me back down. I then saw Nem-Nem by my bedside. She put the back of her hand to my head, then took my hand in hers.

"Amelia, I..." she started. "I shouldn't have let you compete..."

I shivered, feeling strange. My body felt like it was floating in cold water, but... my eyes said otherwise. "Please don't stop me," I whispered. "I'll do anything to keep competing."

Nem-Nem shook her head. "J-Just stay home for a few days before you even _think_ about going back out there. You almost _died!_ "

She was right, as usual. I had nearly fallen to my death. I didn't want to leave Nem-Nem alone, to go on knowing I was gone. But... I also didn't want to stop competing. My heart burned with passion for it, and if I were to be told to never fight again, I don't know if my mind could handle it.

"J-Just one more night?" I asked. Splatfest was almost over. Tomorrow there'd be one more night of it. "I promise, after that, I'll stay home to recover."

Then I realized... I wasn't home. I was in a hospital. But, if I was in a hospital, that meant that doctors saw me up close. I stood up straight, despite the pain, shouting, "Th-They know I'm---!!!"

Nem-Nem slapped her hand against my mouth. "It's okay. These are friends of David's. This hospital is funded by Enperry."

"B-But I thought they only dealt in sportswear," I queried, noting what Dimitri had told me.

David stepped in through the doorway with a warm smile, saying, "Of course they do, but they also have charity centers. All the money that is donated to Enperry is given to all the hospitals in Inkopolis. In return, these hospitals promote Enperry's gear."

These brands seemed to play such a major role in Inkopolis. They were always everywhere, on the sodas, on the gear, on the weapons. Brands were everything here. I often thought back to what Dad would say about brand companies, how they caused destruction, but... these brands in Inkopolis were doing good.

Maybe they were better than the human brands?

Nem-Nem looked at David and asked, "Will she be alright?"

"We, uh, _don't know_ ," replied David, coughing into his hand. "We know almost nothing about humans. We've used X-rays to see if anything was wrong, but it doesn't tell us much. We simply know that none of her bones were broken."

"S-So, I can go, right?" I asked.

David looked at Nem-Nem, who looked back with an expression of worry. There was a long moment of silence as he looked at me with pity. David then said, "That... is up to your caretaker. From how I see it, you're in fairly good condition, but... going back out there is something I _wouldn't_ recommend."

"B-But I--"

"Amelia, _listen to me_ ," he said, his expression much more serious. "You're not cut out for Turf War..."

My heart suddenly sank, hearing this from an inkling. "I-I..."

"You have a fragile body," he said. "All it takes is one bad accident and you're gone forever. Nem-Nem would be all alone, blaming herself. Why were you even _turfing_ in the first place? You _know_ you shouldn't be out there. Can you imagine the stress you've put your caretaker through?"

That hit me bad. My thoughts raced towards Nem-Nem. If I was gone, she'd be by herself. I felt selfish, having never thought about it all that much before. I looked at her, my eyes getting blurry. I tried not to cry. She meant the world to me. Merely thinking about her being alone made my insides tense up. I didn't like this. It was too sudden, too abrupt. I didn't want to stop competing, but I also didn't want to make Nem-Nem worry.

Nem-Nem stood up, then put a hand on David's shoulder. "May I talk to her alone, please?" she asked in the most sincere and softest tone, her voice glitching.

"Of course," he said, looking at her with eyes that showed respect. He walked over to the door, then looked back at me with a sad expression, saying, "I'm sorry for my words, but... I only care about what happens to you. What your caretaker decides to do isn't up to me, but... in my personal opinion, you should be inside, safe and sound."

After he walked out, Nem-Nem closed the door and turned to face me. There was a long silence as she stood there, and I could feel the tension in the air. She then walked up to my bedside and smiled down on me, my feelings somewhat comforted. She reminded me so much of Mom, and I was so grateful to her.

I was afraid, though, because if she told me not to compete, I'd simply stop, because I loved and respected her too much. She knew my feelings, and I knew hers. It was often like we were connected, and because of that, I'd do anything to see her be happy, even if...

Even if I were to stop competing to do so...

"Nem-Nem, I'm sorry," I whispered, looking up at her with tears rolling down my cheeks. "Please, I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have done these stupid turf wars."

Nem-Nem took a deep breath, her smile gone. She then exhaled, looking thoughtful for several minutes while I sniffled. Then she asked me with a _very_ unsure expression, "How badly do you want this?"

I was afraid of saying the wrong thing. I've wanted this for so long. I was finally a competitor, and it pained me to struggle against the inklings. I was human. I had bones to break. I could easily die. But... I still replied, "More than anything, but you're the only one I'd quit for..."

Nem-Nem tried not to, but she smiled, giggling. I was confused. Was she making fun of me? No, it wasn't that. There was something in her eyes... there was a fire in them, a fire that showed a mix of pride and sadness.

"Would you do _anything_ to stay in the game?" she asked.

"Yes!" I said a little too loudly, catching myself at the end, my own determination hard to hold back.

"Would you _fight_ for it?" asked Nem-Nem.

"Yes," I answered.

"Would you _train your hardest_ for it?" she asked.

"Y-Yes," I answered.

_"Would you be anemone enough to carry yourself to the top?"_

"I-I... yes!" I answered, a little confused by her way of speaking.

She sighed, then asked me, "Have I ever told you what I used to be...?"

"Y-You said you were a competitor once, right?" I replied. I had remembered what Liv had shown me earlier. Nem-Nem was once pretty famous on the battlefield.

She nodded and said, "Not only that, but... I was in the number one spot at several points in my life."

My heart nearly stopped. "Wh-What?"

She looked over to the counter behind her where the tetra dualies were. She picked one up and turned it, inspecting it as she said, "Amelia. I'd do anything for you, and if this dumb sport is what does it for you, then you need a better trainer. I refuse to let you go back out there without the best training possible..."

Something in me broke. I was panicking. Something told me this was bad, and I didn't know why. She looked at me, her pupils no longer the pearlescence they once were. They were light pink, glowing a little.

She said in the calmest voice possible, _"You won't_ ** _need_** _squid abilities when I'm done with you."_

\-----------------------------------------------------------

I struggled to keep up. I had been running for hours straight, my body screaming at me, begging me to stop. Up ahead, Nem-Nem was up ahead of me, looking back at me as she ran with ease.

"You're not stopping yet," she said. "We're almost there. This isn't even the beginning of your training."

When Nem-Nem had taken me home last night, I had passed out, my body still feeling strange from the effects of the Booyah Bomb. I had dreams of being some kind of strange creature in the deep ocean, seeing so many fish swarming, and there'd often be the occasional thunder coming from up above as the nukes went off.

I'd hide whenever a boat floated overhead, narrowly escaping with my life. Years would pass like seconds, my surroundings changing. There was so much debris down here, the water becoming contaminated. Eventually, I rose to the surface, and I woke up in my bed.

Nem-Nem had only given me several granola bars, telling me we'd be running. And we did, we ran for two, running to the far edges of the city. I felt dizzy at times, the effects of the Booyah Bomb from last night still present, but I kept going.

I kept going for her. She gave me this chance, and I wasn't going to waste it.

After she stopped, I collapsed from exhaustion. I could hear her snapping her fingers, trying to get my attention. As I looked up at her, sweat dripping down my face, she held out her hand and I took it, getting back onto my feet with her help.

In front of us was a large, silver-painted building, and on the front was a familiar symbol. It looked like a sideways eight after being filled in with the color pink. I recognized it immediately, noting that we were in front of the Tentatek company building.

Nem-Nem walked up to the glass doors and pushed the button on an intercom next to it. "Open up," she said.

 _"What?"_ replied the speaker on the intercom. _"Who is this? You have some nerve."_

Nem-Nem grumbled and pushed the button again, saying, "Three eighty-seven."

 _"N-Nem Nemone?!"_ the speaker replied. The doors slid open, the anemone giving a victorious chuckle.

"C'mon," she said to me. "Your training takes place here."

As I followed her, I could see various sea creatures gawking and staring whenever they spotted Nem-Nem. It only made her more mysterious to me, and... I was excited about that. She had never told me _anything_ about her past, but if she was _this_ epic, could... could she beat Bryson?

We went into the very back, where an inkling in a lab coat looked at her with nervousness in his expression. "Nem Nemone, m-might I say you're looking lovely today?"

"Oh, _stop_ ," she said, smiling. "Amelia, this is Stuart. He tests the weapons here."

I waved shyly, stepping behind her. He looked at her, asking, "Is she with you?"

"She is," said Nem. "I came here to cash in on that favor you guys still owe me."

"B-But it's been so long!" he exclaimed.

"Hey!" shouted Nem-Nem, looking very angry. "Are you backing out of our deal _now?!_ "

"N-Not at all!" he shouted back, smiling nervously, shaking his hands.

"Thank you," Nem-Nem sweetly said with an innocent-looking smile. "You're so fresh! I'm just going to take Amelia here to the old training room.~"

Nem-Nem then led me into another room, one that was large and empty. Blue and red holograms of inklings stood there, their eyes vacant, devoid of life. This room was massive, easily able to fit all of Blackbelly Skatepark.

"Amelia, listen up," said Nem-Nem, turning to face me. She handed me my dualies, and when I raised them, an ink tank appeared on my back. This place was apparently outfitted to simulate Turf War in every way. "You're going to be on team blue," she said. "I'll be team red. I want to see what you can really do."

I swallowed my own spit, nervous that I'd have to face her. "Sh-Shouldn't I warm up fi--"

Nem-Nem grinned, saying, "Nope!"

She clapped her hands in a strange, rhythmic pattern. When she was finished, we were transported to an empty version of the previous room. Nem-Nem raised her arms, dualies materializing from a bluish glow. "Get ready, Amelia, because I'm not stopping until you're as quick as me."

"I have a lot of questions," I said, worried. This wasn't the Nem-Nem I knew at all. This was a turfer. This was someone who was scaring me a bit, but at the same time... it was also _really awesome_.

"I'll answer them later," she replied. "You have Splatfest tonight, and I'm not letting you go back until you beat me."

"B-Beat you?" I repeated, now _very worried_.

She walked calmly towards the other end of the room, where the red holograms followed her. I heard a loud beeping noise.

One time...

Two times...

Three times...

Then a loud beep, and certain areas of the floor rose up, becoming obstacles and platforms. The blue holograms ran up to my side, one on them grinning smugly as they shouted in a synthetic voice, _"Booyah!"_

They were so lifelike...

I ran up ahead, going around a few of the raised platforms. Many of them were climbable while some weren't, and whenever I climbed on what I could, I could see Nem-Nem moving with grace as she took out opponents left and right. My artificial teammates cried out as they were splatted with ease one by one.

My blood ran cold the moment she locked her eyes with mine. I was dead. I scrambled, jumping from platform to platform, barely able to keep my balance. Nem-Nem was easily able to catch up, sighing as she climbed onto the platform I was on.

She grabbed me, keeping me balanced. "Keep your center of gravity above your feet," she instructed. "Make sure your head doesn't sway. Once your head goes, your body does because it's one of the heaviest parts in your body."

I looked up at her and she simply smiled back. "Just watch your head, keep moving, and don't make unsure movements. Don't lean, either. Watch your head and make sure it's in the center, right above your feet. Understand?"

"I think so," I replied back. How did she know so much? Could I really be like her?

"Now jump," she said, pointing to a long, thin platform. It wasn't too high off the ground. If I fell, it wouldn't have been bad. Looking ahead, I jumped, trying to keep my head balanced. So far, so good. Just need to kee--

I was suddenly shot at from behind. Looking at Nem-Nem, she held up a dualie. I was very confused. Wasn't she trying to teach me?

"What?" she asked. "You thought I was gonna let you do this the easy way? You're doing what I did at your age."

She fired again. "C'mon. Move along it. Keep going."

Feeling the ink pelt my back, I walked forward calmly, feeling the ink hit me at random periods. It hurt a little, but letting her down would've hurt more. She was giving me this chance. She knew what my dream was, and she was determined to let me have this.

I was grateful to her, and so I endured what I could. Suddenly, I felt more ink hitting me from both my sides. There were two red holograms, firing their Splattershots. I was pelted all over, red ink covering me completely as I kept going. I was almost at the end.

"Well?" asked Nem-Nem, following me on the platform. I was afraid to look back, as I didn't want to lose my balance. "If you can walk, you can also fire back, so do it!" she instructed.

Don't make unsure movements. Don't second-guess. I turned to my side, firing at one red hologram, taking him down, then I turned to the other side, firing again and taking the other out.

"Not bad," said Nem, "but you could use some more refinement."

We did this for several hours, with me jumping onto platforms wide _and_ thin, firing at holograms, and occasionally even hitting Nem-Nem. She was still much faster than me though, often firing back with great precision.

Keeping up with her was difficult, and oftentimes, I wanted to stop and cry from the struggle. But she'd always just give me that smile, and everything would feel better. I wanted her to be proud of me. I wanted to hear her say those words so badly, and so I fought. I fought with everything I had in me.

After many hours of practice, I was jumping almost like her, using her careful instruction. I was still very sloppy, but I still felt like I could take on the world with her teachings. I was taught how to jump, how to dodge, how to aim properly, how to never hesitate.

After all those hours, it was just me and her. I looked at her, and she looked back at me, her own dualies raised. Before her, I was nothing. Now it was time to show her that I was a real turfer. She smirked at me, her eyes pink and glowing.

"C'mon!" she shouted. "Come at me!"

I ran, jumping up onto a platform and running along it, aiming down at her. My dualies fired, hitting the spot where she once was. I had lost sight of her, and this scared me. Where was she?!

"Watch your back!" she shouted, firing. I jumped off the platform and onto another, losing my balance easily. I quickly pulled back as best as I could, but I fell forward. I wasn't ready. Who was I kidding?

Suddenly, she grabbed my arm, pulling me back onto it. She looked down at me, and I felt intimidated. Then she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight and surprising me. I didn't say anything, simply letting her hug me. I felt helpless.

She sighed, smiling. "You won't be ready by Splatfest tonight," she said. "Your balance is worse than you think, and while I've taught you the basics, you're definitely not ready to face real inklings."

"I understand," I replied, feeling like a failure. I leaned into her, just needing comfort.

She then said, "I'll give you a pass... for now. You can go to Splatfest, but... be more careful."

This confused me greatly. Looking up at her, I could see her grin.

She said, "Look, kiddo... I'd love for you to stay home, but... I need to let you experience life."

I had so many questions for her. I wanted to know why she had quit turfing. I wanted to know why she had never talked about it, and I wanted to know why she was letting me go to Splatfest, even after the accident.

"Nem, I--"

She shushed me. "None of that. You're going to that Splatfest, even if I have to drag you there. But don't worry. Your training isn't over yet."

"You're going to keep training me?" I asked, looking up in awe.

Nem-Nem still had an unsure expression on her face as she replied, "Who else will guide you if I don't?"

Seeing this, I took her hand, squeezing it gently, making her smile again. If... I could just...

"Nem," I said.

She looked down at me. "What's up, kiddo?"

"I... I've never told you this before," I said, afraid of what I was about to say. "I... I always saw you as..."

Nem-Nem tilted her head a little. "Hm?"

Now. Do it. "I always saw you as my m-mom..." I whispered, afraid of her rejection.

Nem-Nem's eyes stared into mine, our gazes locked. "You really see me that way...?" she asked.

I nodded slowly, trembling a little. "Y-Yeah..."

Nem-Nem closed her eyes, a tear running down her cheek, a smile spreading across her face. Her hand squeezed mine, and after four years, I finally felt like a weight had been lifted. "W-Well, I have something to say, too," she said.

"W-What?" I asked.

"Ever since you were handed over to me, I did my best to raise you right," she said. "And it was only after a few days that I started growing attached. Amelia, I... I see you as my daughter."

If there was a perfect day, it was this. My heart swelled up with pride, and I felt like I belonged here in this world for once. I should've told her so long ago. I cried with joy, burying my face into her shirt, my tears staining it.

She hugged me tightly, and I felt at ease with myself. I had confidence for tonight. I'd show Ace and Bryson what I could really do, and it was all because of Nem-Nem.

I was ready.

\-------------------------------------------------

I wasn't ready.

This stage, designed by Marina, was one of the strangest places I had ever been in. Instead of starting together as a quartet, my team was separated, all of us spawning in different areas in a place that was _way too similar_ to downtown Inkopolis, with abandoned buildings and plenty of places to hide in.

I snuck through one of the buildings, making my way up to the second floor to get a better view of the streets from above. The night sky's starlight glowed with pretty colors, and while I wanted to look at them more, I had to be sneaky, as this particular battle would be two hours long, a single goal: elimination.

Because I couldn't be splatted, they had outfitted me with a device that wrapped around my waist like a belt. It was normally used for non-inkling competitors in elimination rounds. If I was hit with the same amount of force that would splat an inkling, it'd teleport me out of the stage and back into the lobby.

I just had to stay in the round to win, but my confidence was a little low, because the helmeted octoling was in this match as well as Bryson. If I were to guess how I'd fare against him now, I'd say I felt confident, but Nem-Nem told me otherwise, and I trusted her more than I trusted myself.

The emotions from earlier were keeping me going. I felt such a great pride swelling in my chest. To know that she saw me as one of her own made me feel like I belonged here, and I finally felt validation for my own existence in this inkling-dominated world.

I walked into the next room of the building, seeing dusty furniture and old newspaper clippings. Seeing human language on them struck me as odd, considering this was a Splatfest to begin with. I wanted to at least know what it read.

I picked up a clipping and held it by the window, barely making out of letters in the starlight. It read, "Imminent Exodus Declared. President Denies Claims of Extra Bunkers."

Bunkers...?

I remembered now. Dad had talked about Japan evacuating people into the bunkers. He told me there wasn't any more room for us, that the bunkers had already exceeded their maximum occupancy. The President, who hired Dad, wanted him to focus on the cryogenics project.

Why the President didn't want to go into the bunkers was anyone's guess. Was he being humble? Or did he want to avoid the angry citizens down below after his most recent scandal? He had been accused of giving priority to the rich, making sure they had reserved spots when he had promised that everyone would have an equal chance of survival.

I sighed, thinking of Dad. I missed him so much...

A hand on my shoulder startled me a little. Turning my head, I saw the helmeted octoling. I quickly pulled away and aimed my dualies at him. "Stay back!" I warned.

The octoling stayed silent, his black visor hiding his face. He merely walked up to me, gently pushed me aside, and looked out the window. I kept my dualies aimed at him, thinking it was a trick.

"Unsplattable, but not immortal," he said. "You think you're fooling people?"

"F-Fooling?" I queried, stepping back a little.

"Don't shoot, or I'll tell," he said. "You're a special one, aren't you?"

There was no way that he'd... he didn't know about me, I was sure of it. He was lying, and... I looked to see if the camera drone was around. When I saw no sign of it, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"You think your games go unnoticed, but we Octarians know who you are all too well," he claimed. "We're much too smart for you."

My body got chills. "You know I'm--"

"Human," he finished. "It's cute, but... also sad. You must be lonely, being the last one..."

I slowly lowered my dualies, leaning against the wall. "I mean... y-yeah, a little...?"

He turned his head to me. "Took me a while to figure out what you were, but after last night, from what my splatling teammate told me, I knew I couldn't let you fall to your death."

He _did_ save me... "Thanks," I replied.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked. "Aren't you supposed to be hiding...?"

"I love Turf War," I answered.

"Why?" he asked. "Is it because you're so desperate for a place in a world not meant for you that you'd try so foolishly to blend in with its society?"

"I j-just like the action," I said. "It's so cool, and... there was nothing like this in my world."

"Very innocent, very simple-minded," he said, plopping down onto a dusty old couch. As he laid down, he twiddled his fingers. "What's your name?"

"Amelia," I answered, trying not to be offended. Why did I give him my name so easily...?

He laid there, quiet for a minute. I was about to ask if he was okay when he finally replied, "Henry."

That was... Dad's name. Sad emotions stirred in me again. "I like it," I replied. "Reminds me of someone."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"Sh-Shouldn't you be trying to eliminate me?" I asked.

"I could, but... where's the fun in that?" he answered. "As someone who knows your weaknesses very well, I could do a lot of things that would 'eliminate' you."

I felt very uncomfortable, and I wanted very much to leave, but then I wondered if he was like Hector. "I-I guess, but... let's not do that."

"I thought as much," he said with a chuckle. "So, tell me... Is someone taking care of you, at least?"

"Y-Yeah," I replied. "They're like... a mother to me."

"What a nice thought," he said. "She must be very proud of you."

"I like to think she is," I said quietly.

"You don't know...?" he asked.

"Sh-She considers me a daughter," I said proudly, my courage slowly working its way up.

Somehow, I could feel that he was smiling behind that visor. I couldn't see it, but... I just had that feeling. "Must be hard for an inkling to raise a human."

"She's not an inkling," I corrected. "She's a sea anemone."

He slowly nodded. "My mistake."

"Even so, it _was_ difficult for her," I replied. "I certainly didn't make it any easier for her."

I couldn't figure out what this guy wanted. Was there a motive behind his questions, or was he just always like this? I could never even hope to decipher him as long as his face was behind that tinted visor.

"I don't remember much of my own family," he quietly said. "I just remember being trained, then I was sent out to fight. I now work here, undercover for the Octarian forces."

"And you'd just... _tell_ me all this?" I questioned. It didn't make sense.

"Of course," he said. "After all, I wouldn't tell anyone about _you_ , would I?"

Oh...

"W-Well, what do you want?" I asked timidly.

He sat up, drumming his fingers against each other. "That's tricky..."

I tilted my head in question.

He looked at me and said, "I could... offer you many things, being high up in the Octarian hierarchy. But what I most want to offer is a home for you, a real home."

What the...? "But I'm happy here," I said. "Nem-Nem is all I need, and my friends, too. Ace, Bryson, Liv, they're always here for me."

"Amelia," he said. "Keep in mind what position you are in."  
  
I tightened my grip on my dualies. "Position?"

"Sure, you're participating right now. You're happy, carefree, on top of the world. But then it'll come crashing down... and do you know why?" he asked me.

I shook my head slightly, tense, feeling like he was assessing me from behind his visor.

"Eventually you'll draw attention to yourself," he explained. "Word of your unique resistance to ink will most definitely spread throughout Inkopolis, and you'll be catching the gaze of some very intrigued scientists. I mean, think about it. This event is televised.

Suddenly, I was very stressed. He was right, especially since that camera drone was recording the matches. If the Octarians figured it out so quickly, then how long would it take for inkling scientists to notice? If Dimitri could recognize what I was, what about others who were like him?

 _"I can give you safety, Amelia,"_ he said, standing up and holding out his leather-gloved hand. "You'll never have to worry about them. Come join us, and we can work together. Maybe we can even bring your species back..."

Bring them back...?

I looked up at him, my heart suddenly hopeful. "C-Could you bring back my family?"

His pose shifted, the octoling seeming to not have expected such a question. "It doesn't work like that, Amelia..."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We can take your DNA, and we can work from that, making humans from scratch," he answered. "We can't, however, bring back those who have passed. My apologies."

So... they could keep me safe, and they could bring humans back, but they couldn't bring my family back. Nem-Nem suddenly came to my mind. She would have been heartbroken if I left. I felt more assurance than ever for my answer. "I'm sorry," I replied. "I can't."

The octoling sighed heavily. "I was _hoping_ that I wouldn't have to do this," he said, walking towards me, raising his arm, an N-Zap materializing in his hand. I quickly booked it, running out through the doorway and down the streets. I wasn't going to give this creep the chance.

I knew that if I kept going with this dream, someone _would_ notice me, but... I'd cross that bridge when I'd get to it. For now, this guy was on my tail, and I wasn't going to let him take me without a fight. I looked back, seeing him running at crazy speeds.

I went down an alley, climbing up and over a fence within to get out the other end. He simply jumped through it in octopus form, his inky body easily slipping between the chainlinks before returning to his humanlike shape.

As I went down the road, I could see a lot of abandoned cars, with some brands being familiar to me, brands from human society. Of course, that wasn't my sole focus at the moment. I jumped behind one and fired from behind it, slouched over the hood, my dualies forcing Henry to get back.

I raised my arm, a sprinkler coming into form in my hand. I tossed it at him, the device landing in front and spraying out bronze ink. I took this opportunity to lose him, heading into a building and running out through its back door.

These homes were fairly big, often looking like they could house entire families. As I went into another, my arm suddenly felt like pins and needles. Looking at it, I saw that I couldn't move it anymore! I picked up the dualie that I had dropped due to loss of control, then put the dualie in my pocket.

There had to be a place to hide out while I figured out what was going on with my arm. I could hear his footsteps, and my heart was pounding faster. As I ran outside the back end of another house, I saw a large dumpster on the sidewalk. I didn't waste a single second. I opened it up and dove in headfirst, regretting it as I hit trash bags that smelled awful.

As the lid closed, I held my breath, the stench becoming unbearable. I couldn't stay in here forever. I heard his footsteps grow louder, then get quieter as he ran past my hiding spot. The moment I could no longer hear his footsteps, I opened up the lid, taking in a lungful of fresh air and climbing out.

I stood up, about to retch from the stench I had to suffer through. My right arm was completely useless, and I knew what I needed to do. I needed to find Ace. He was somewhere in this city, and if I knew him well, he was most likely one of the few competitors left.

Running took a lot out of me, the entire city becoming one big maze to me. I couldn't seem to find _anyone_ here. There was no way Ace could've been taken out, right? I'd even settle for Bryson's help, even _if_ he was the opponent. I just needed to tell someone about Henry.

Several hours passed, and I was beginning to lose hope. There was no way. I couldn't be the only one on my team left. As I walked down the empty streets, I was beginning to feel cold, the night air getting to me. My arm was still useless, and my leg was beginning to feel the pins and needles, too. It hadn't given out yet, so I was at least grateful for that.

I leaned against the wall of a food market, simply standing outside and slumping. I couldn't find anyone, and I was gonna lose it. Just _one_ person. That was all I had asked. And to make matters worse, I could see Henry in the distance, walking calmly towards me.

Standing up straight, I aimed a dualie at him. "Get back!" I warned. "I'll shoot! _I mean it!_ "

He just walked quietly towards me, N-Zap in his hand. He didn't stop until he was three feet in front of me. I wouldn't let this guy take me down. He wouldn't take me without a fight.

"Are you afraid?" he asked.

"Shut up!" I shouted, firing.

Like flowing water, he gracefully swept himself to the side, firing a well-aimed shot at my face. My visor was completely covered. I stumbled back and felt him grab my useless arm, then my other arm. He pinned me to the wall, and as the ink slid off my visor, I saw the empty blackness of his visor, like an omen of death.

 _"Stupid kid,"_ he muttered. _"You just don't know when to quit."_

Behind him, I saw the camera drone hovering down, watching us. Nem-Nem was most likely watching this on the television. Knowing that she was, my own insecurities kicked into overdrive. I couldn't let her see me like this. I needed to be strong. I needed to cement my place into this world.

He was right. I didn't know when to quit. I slammed my knee into his stomach and pushed forward just enough so I could rear my head back as far as I could, then I bashed my helmet against his with a hard headbutt, his visor shattering. Letting me go, he stumbled back, his hand covering his face. I quickly ran at him and kicked him in the chest, forcing him onto the ground.

Aiming down at him, I fired at his hand-covered face with a scream of fury. I was the predator here. No longer would I be useless. He exploded in a mess of bronze ink. Panting heavily, I stood there, feeling adrenaline pumping through me. I was victorious.

But...

I was shot in the back with ink, my belt device beeping and warping me out of the abandoned city stage. Before I knew it, I was in the lobby, with Ace sitting on a bench in front of me.

"Whoooooo! You got him good!" he cheered.

"Nice job," said Liv with a grin, holding a Tentacola in her hand.

Wait, what? "But I lost!" I shouted.

"So?" he replied. "You _still_ took down a toughie today. He got me earlier, so I was forced to watch you on my phone. Didn't think you had that _tenacity_ in you."

But wait, where was... I looked around, seeing that the lobby was empty except for Ace and Liv. "Where's Henry?" I asked.

"Who, the helmet guy?" asked Ace.

"He didn't warp back here," said Liv. "Maybe he's in a separate lobby?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling goosebumps. I wouldn't see the last of him. I knew I wouldn't. He'd be hounding me for a while, and I was very scared of that. Maybe if I didn't tell anyone who he was, he wouldn't tell who _I_ was...? Hopefully...

"But wait, who shot me?" I asked, now curious.

Ace held up his phone, showing Bryson on screen in a battle with Hector. "Sorry, Amelia. He got ya from behind."

Ouch... So much for winning Splatfest against Bryson.

I sat in between Ace and Liv, sulking. "I really thought I had won," I said. "Sorry I let you down."

"Doesn't matter," said Ace as he patted my back. "Way I see it, you've unlocked your inner inkling."

"Yeah, I guess," I said. Suddenly, I could feel my right arm again. I moved it around a bit to make sure it was working properly. That Booyah Bomb must have done something bad to my body, but I wasn't sure if I should have told Nem-Nem or not.

I only hoped that this was the last of it. If it wasn't, I'd tell Nem-Nem straight away. For now, Splatfest was coming to an end, and I felt good about it. If any octolings wanted to come and get me, they'd have to take me by force.

I didn't even want to think about being found out, either. For now, I was going to take a week off from turfing and just hang out with Nem-Nem. Maybe I'd invite Ace, Liv, and Bryson over, too. This would be a week for relaxation. Just me, Nem-Nem, and my best friends.

Hopefully, the talk of the unsplattable inkling girl would die down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is being worked on right now.


	7. R&R and DNA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia tries to have a stress-free week, but finds there are still some surprises in store.

_“The pop-star life is adventure enough for me. I much prefer a relaxing holiday.” - Marina Ida_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Watching television with Nem-Nem was normally the highlight of indoor life. We shared a lot of moments in front of it, laughing together, commenting on how dumb the dialogue was from time to time. Even the news could be entertaining with her around.

It was evening, and we were watching a romance this time. It was about a crustacean who had fallen in love, but he was also enlisted in the army, so he needed to spend as much time with the one he loved as much as possible, eventually confessing his feelings to her.

“Thing about crustaceans is that they can be a little thick-shelled,” said Nem-Nem. “I should know. I’ve dated a few in my college days. One of them refused to ask for directions when we went out of town for a getaway, and because of that, we got lost.”

“Sounds like you’ve dated a lot,” I said.

“The single life isn’t easy, Amelia,” she replied. “Hard to find that perfect someone.”

I thought about Ace and our time at the movie theater together. I still wasn’t really sure what my feelings for him were. I liked him, and I mean I _really_ liked him. He was always so supportive, so cheerful, despite losses. He’d always inspire people around him, and I thought it was so cool that he was able to do that.

A question popped into my mind. “Nem-Nem, how do I know if I, you know, _love_ someone.”

Nem-Nem’s posture quickly changed. She stood up straight, turning down the volume. “E-Excuse me?” she asked. I hesitantly repeated my question and she just said, “It’s… hard to tell when you’re going through puberty. Hard to tell what’s love and what’s... “

“What’s _what?_ ” I asked, waiting for her to finish.

She cleared her throat, blushing. “Look, um, there _are_ ways to tell if someone is right for you, but what _really_ matters most is if they’re there for you, if they support your decisions, and are even willing to risk their life for you. Love is a powerful thing, but… I don’t think I’m qualified to give advice on it. I’m still single, so… what do I know?”

I remember what Ace did when we first met. He had pushed me out of the way of that roller. Self-sacrificing, caring, and he was even supportive of my dream of being a turfer. I didn’t know if I should tell Nem-Nem, because I wasn’t sure how she’d react. I kept quiet about it for now, simply nodding in understanding.

Nem-Nem relaxed a bit more now that the topic was over. As she turned up the television, it suddenly switched to the news on its own, scaring us both with a loud music introduction. As soon as it died down, Pearl and Marina appeared on the screen.

“Yo, yo! Check it, y’all! We’ve got the Splatfest results in today!” Pearl exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “You ready, Marina?!”

“Always ready to win,” replied Marina with a smile.

Pearl smirked and said, “So, listen up! The results in popularity are…”

_Team Old: 38.6%_

**_Team New: 61.4%_ **

Marina looked very disappointed while Pearl was ecstatic. Marina then said, “Can’t win ‘em all, I guess.”

“Don’t be like that, Marina!” said Pearl. “We’ve still got two more results!”

As the screen displayed the numbers, my hopes were shattered.

**_Team Old Normal Clout: 58.9%_ **

_Team New Normal Clout: 41.1%_

_Team Old Pro Clout: 36.7%_

**_Team New Pro Clout: 63.3%_ **

Marina seemed to share my sadness as her lower lip quivered. “So much for tradition…”

Pearl grinned and exclaimed, “Booyah! Out with the Old, in with Team New! Don’t worry, Marina. It’s not so bad. I’ll get you those **_new_ ** sound speakers you’ve been talking about for the past six months.”

Marina rolled her eyes with a smile. “Whatever you say, Pearl.”

Pearl paused, seeming to be thinking. “Wait a minute… Didn’t you pick Team Modern _waaaaay_ back?” she asked. “And wait, didn’t I go with Team Retro? Something’s wrong here…”

Marina, seemingly nervous, placed her hands on the record table in front of her and spun one of the circular discs, making the screen show footage from the Splatfest. There I was, on-screen, screaming as I was shooting at Henry and splatting him.

Pearl’s eyes widened as she exclaimed, “Woah, _that’s_ a case of _Turf Madness_ if I’ve ever seen one!”

“I know, right?” Marina replied. “According to local sources, that’s the unsplattable inkling girl. She’s been making a lot of headlines during Splatfest.”

_“WHAT?!”_ asked Pearl in shock. “You hear that, kids?! _Unsplattable!_ She must be _all_ _kinds_ of tough!”

My stress shot up _way_ _past_ one hundred percent. I looked at Nem-Nem, and the moment she saw my expression, she shut off the television. Holding my head in my hands, I began overthinking, wondering how the science community would react.

Nem-Nem had a calm expression, saying, “Alright, that’s enough, Amelia.”

“But what if it gets _too_ much attention?” I asked.

Nem-Nem then pointed out, “Don’t worry. You wear that outfit way too often. They don’t know what you look like.”

My fears went down. There was only one team that knew what I looked like, and that was the first team I officially faced with Ace and the others. The hockey-masked inkling was… scary. He was violent, and he… wait…

How did he recognize me at the museum…? He had never seen me put on the suit. Was… was he _following_ me? He couldn’t have been, right?

I was scared. My fear of this guy intensified. What if he told more people? _“Yeah, that’s her,”_ I imagined. _“That’s the freak right there.”_

Nem-Nem lightly shook me by my shoulders. “Amelia! Snap out of it!”

I looked up at her. “I’m scared,” I uttered. “There’s a kid who knows what I look like. What if he tells?”

Nem-Nem shook her head. “Nuh-uh. Don’t worry. Let _me_ worry about that. You focus on relaxing, okay?”

Relaxing, relaxing, relaxing, how could I think about relaxing?!

Nem-Nem sighed and said, “Look, I’ll talk to David and have him find this kid. You just gotta give a description, David will find him, we’ll handle it. Might have to pay him to keep quiet, but if that’s what it takes, David and I will do it.”

My fears were immediately relaxed. I leaned into her, just closing my eyes and hugging her. “Oh, my gosh, thank you…”

“Oy, you’re gonna turn into me if you don’t stop,” she warned, patting my head.

I soon calmed all the way down, then let go. She was right. I needed to relax. This was getting to my head, and I needed to keep it together if I wanted to enjoy this week. I smiled up at her in appreciation. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Thank you.”

“No problem, kiddo,” she replied. “Speaking of kiddos, where are your friends? Didn’t you invite them over?”

I had nearly forgotten! I checked my phone. Ace had sent a text thirty minutes ago saying he’d be here soon. So… where was he? Did he get lost on the way here?

The doorbell rang, followed by, _“Hey, NOOB! We’re here! Open up!”_

“Rude,” Nem commented.

“That’s just Bryson,” I replied. “He’s been trying to train me recently, but…”

“Well, _that’s_ not proper teacher attitude,” said Nem, walking to the door. She opened it up, both her and Bryson locking sights with each other. Ace and Liv stood just behind him, with Liv waving and Ace grinning.

“So, _you’re_ Bryson?” Nem asked.

“Yeah?” Bryson answered.

“You didn’t do a very good job teaching Amelia,” said Nem, squinting her eyes. “She almost died two nights ago.”

“Tch, I taught her to the best of my ability,” Bryson retorted with a sneer. “Not my fault she’s a slow learner.”

Nem pinned him against the door, with both Bryson’s hands behind his back. My eyes widened, my mouth spurting out, “Nem, stop!”

Bryson struggled, growling, “Hey! What gives?! I try to help her and this is what happens?!”

Nem-Nem leaned in closer, whispering, “Do you know what it’s like to be someone who isn’t an inkling…? You think it’s so easy, but let me tell you something, _bud_ . Being an anemone, I can say from experience that we have to try harder than you just to _hope_ to compete.”

“B-But--” Bryson tried to object, but Nem interrupted.

“Inklings don’t even struggle with their abilities,” continued Nem. “I’ve had to sprain muscles just to do simple jumps and rolls when I was her age. And although my skeleton is hydrostatic and flexible, hers isn’t, so I’m assuming she has had to work harder than you to even achieve her _noob_ status.”

Ever since I had told Nem that my friends knew my secret, she had been a bit wary. She’d often ask questions mostly about Bryson, due to his connection with Annaki. She never really trusted the bigger corporations, and she never told me why.

She let him go, letting him regain his composure after a few seconds of shock. I was worried that Nem might have been going through an episode, but I wasn’t sure if it was that or actual motherly instinct. “Y-You didn’t have to do that,” I said.

“Amelia, inklings are cocky,” replied Nem, her hand on her hip. “These guys might be the best at fighting, but that’s literally their core. They don’t even have to try. Once they grab a weapon, they’re experts with it in a matter of minutes.”

“Nice to see someone who can handle Bryson,” Ace commented with a grin. He walked up to her and held out a hand, greeting, “Nice to meet you, ma’am! I’m Ace!”

Nem-Nem smiled and shook his hand. “It’s _very_ nice to meet you,” she replied. “I saw your performance last night with that helmet inkling.”

“He got me good, but I gave it my best shot,” Ace replied, still looking positive. “Sometimes stealth is all you need to take _anyone_ down.”

“There’s a trick to flushing them out,” said Nem. “I’ll tell you later. For now, I’m going to start up on some much-needed baking.”

A smile spread across my face when I heard her say that. “What are you making this time?” I asked in excitement.

“Hm… That depends on the mood,” said Nem. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when I’m done. You kids go play.”

“Okay, Nem-Nem!” I replied.

After she went into the kitchen, Bryson asked, “So, _noob_ , what should we do first?”

I thought about that. What _was_ there to do besides turfing? I didn’t want to stray from the apartments, because I didn’t want to miss out on Nem-Nem’s baking when it was still hot.

Liv then asked me, “Hey, Amelia, is that a gaming console?”

I looked at the television, seeing some gray helmets and gloves and saying, “Yeah, it’s the SplatVirtual.”

During the four years I had been with Nem-Nem, life was pretty boring. Not being able to go out without her would often put me in a depressed mood, so she had decided to go out and get me a video game, along with the promise that we’d make weekly trips out, with me disguised of course.

“Is that Turf Mayhem?” asked Ace as he ran over to the rectangular console. He picked up a small cartridge. “I used to play this with Dimitri. Was hoping it’d get him into Turf War, but he just couldn’t get into it.”

I nodded as I put on my usual gloves. They were bulky, but they were very accurate. They could restrict movement on your fingers if you were touching an in-game object, making you feel like you were actually in the game.

I put on my helmet, the game starting up automatically. It wasn’t long before Ace materialized next to me. We were in a blank area, with nothing but white around us. I raised my hand, a menu popping up. “Clam Blitz or Splat Zones?” I asked.

“Hm… That’s a toughie,” said Ace. Bryson soon appeared, and so did Liv, both of them looking unfamiliar with the virtual space.

“I don’t normally play video games,” said Bryson, crossing his arms. “They tend to be unrealistic.”

That struck me as funny, because when humans were still around, we didn’t have squids that could walk and talk in human form. We probably would have seen it as unrealistic, but I didn’t want to burst Bryson’s bubble.

“I’ve, uh… never played a video game before,” confessed Liv.

“It’s pretty much like real life,” replied Ace, stretching his arms.

“Only it’s not,” said Bryson. “It’s _dumb_.”

“What mode, guys?” I asked, a little impatient.

“Go for Splat Zones,” said Bryson. “I wanna see what you can do since you can go squid in this game.”

Yeah…

I selected Splat Zones, a bit of depression washing over me. Suddenly, we were on the Manta Maria, a massive ship that had been decommissioned. Its wooden floor creaked beneath my feet as I ran off the spawn point.

Besides me was Ace, who had been selected by the game’s systems to be my team partner. That meant we were up against Liv and Bryson. I inked the ground below me with a Splattershot pro, then I dove into the ink.

When playing the game, the wearer’s legs would be paralyzed, part of the brain’s signals being redirected to the helmet. Only the arms were movable while walking and running were controlled by your brain’s signals. It would feel like you were actually running in the game.

Sure, the SplatVirtual was amazing in that regard, but the SplatVirtual 2 was even better, with full immersion. The user would be completely paralyzed while they were using it, giving them better freedom of movement within the game.

We could never afford the SplatVirtual 2, so we settled on just getting the first one. I’m still thankful that Nem had gone out of her way to get me such a console. I’d never seen anything like it before I was frozen.

As I alternated running and swimming to the middle of the ship, I saw the two holographic squares on the ground, indicating the turf we had to ink and keep protected from the other team. Whoever held the squared areas the longest would win the game.

I quickly fired down at the turf, inking it purple. Because I could go squid in this game merely by thinking it, I felt more like I belonged in the world. Of course, it wasn’t like I _didn’t_ think about what it would’ve been like. There were so many advantages to being an inkling.

Meanwhile, here _I_ was, a plain human, trying to play a squid’s game, but that wouldn’t stop me. I’d take on the world if I had to, just to find where I stand in the ranks.

_“INKED FROM ABOVE!”_ Bryson shouted, jumping off the mast above. He had a Luna Blaster, a gun with incredibly short range, but it was very effective with one-shot splats. I didn’t stand a chance. A brief burst of pain hit me, sending me back to the spawn point.

I had almost forgotten what it felt like to play this game, because whenever I’d get hit, I’d feel the same pain an inkling felt. It would be intense, but very brief, simulating what real turf wars were like for inklings.

I swam back to see Ace fighting against Bryson. In Ace’s hands, he had the N-Zap ‘83, a weapon that was small, but powerful with its loadout, as it came with the Sprinkler and the Ink Storm.

What was the Ink Storm, you ask?

As Ace’s tentacled hair lit up, he raised both his hands into the air, a machine materializing within it. He then slammed it onto the ground, where it shot up into the air like a rocket and exploded into a purple cloud, making it rain ink.

Bryson didn’t seem phased by it, the determination in his eyes showing me that he wasn’t afraid of pain. He ran through the rain of ink itself and aimed, taking out Ace with one hit before he himself also exploded. It was just Liv and I now.

She held the Grim Range Blaster, and I groaned. This thing could be annoying if I wasn’t careful. I was beginning to feel as if the game had a sense of humor, because each weapon we received during a match would be almost seemingly random, making it difficult to plan out a strategy before the game started.

I ran at her, firing my Splattershot Pro. She raised her blaster, firing a well-aimed shot, but I quickly fired to my left and dove into the ink, still receiving damage from the blast radius. It wasn’t direct, but it still hurt greatly.

I jumped back out of my ink and fired another shot, but Liv was too quick. We both hit each other, both of us exploding in bursts of inks. I felt exhilarated, because although I couldn’t move as quickly in real life, or be just as coordinated, the game would help me. It made sure that every player was equal in speed and stamina. Reflexes, if slow, could be adjusted to natural or artificial.

After around five minutes of intense battling, the game screen popped up, declaring that the green team had won. I took off my helmet, seeing Bryson and Liv pumping their fists in the air victoriously.

I just couldn’t seem to win. Would I ever be good at Turf War in _any_ format? It didn’t matter if it was real or virtual. I normally lost. Against the computer in the game, I was fine, but against real people…? I was jealous, I was angry, and I was sad. I just couldn’t win.

As everyone took off their helmets, Bryson said, “Even in a video game, I always win.”

Ace rolled his eyes and set the helmet down. Looking at me, his eyes fixated on something. “Um, Amelia… are you okay?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, snapping out of my thoughts, confused.

“Your hair is, um… different,” he clarified.

My hair…? I reached up, feeling it, but it seemed fine to me. “I don’t understand,” I said.

Ace took my hand and guided me to the mirror that Nem kept in the living room. As I gazed upon myself, my blood ran cold, panic setting in. My hair was slowly changing colors. It went from red, to pink, to orange, to yellow, then to blue, then it repeated.

“Wh-What’s going on?!” I exclaimed.

I heard Nem-Nem ask from the kitchen, _“Amelia? Is everything alright?”_

“I… y- yeah?” I answered. I couldn’t let her see this. She’d freak!

“Almost done baking,” she called out. “You kids finish up whatever you’re doing.”

I looked at Ace with pleading eyes, and he immediately understood. Bryson, who simply watched with curiosity, folded his arms, not really concerned with my changing hair color. Liv was a little more curious, following us as Ace guided me to my room.

“You’ve got that beanie, right?” asked Ace.

I nodded, opening my door. I walked in, with Ace stepping in behind me. Looking in my closet, I grabbed my beanie and pulled it tightly over my head. “Think she’ll get suspicious if I wear my beanie indoors?” I asked.

Ace shrugged. “I mean, I wear a beret, so… it’s not _too_ weird.”

“What would cause such a condition?” asked Liv, lifting a strand of my hair in between her fingers.

Thinking back to my most recent fight, I remembered how my arm became useless for no apparent reason. Thinking back even further, I could only remember one thing that could’ve caused it.

_That Booyah Bomb messed me up somehow, and I wasn’t liking it one bit._

“Ace, do Booyah Bombs normally do anything to inklings if they survive it?” I asked.

“That’s a weird question,” he replied. “Um, I don’t _think_ so. In fact, I hardly ever hear of inklings surviving a blast, and even when they do, nothing weird ever really happens to them, so… yeah, I don’t think so.”

“What about _me?_ ” I asked. “I’m _human_ . Has it ever affected _other_ creatures before?”

Ace looked up, thinking. “Uhhhh, I think so. Now that I look back, I remember something happening to jellyfish if they manage to survive, but… they only change color as far as I know, and even then, jellyfish can fix themselves. Not sure how they do that, but they can.”

Liv looked unsettled, her eyes wide in a realization. “Booyah Bombs… normally scramble DNA. It’s why they’re so effective in splatting.”

I was now _really_ worried. What if my hair was like this forever? Would I have to get dye to keep it a single color again? What if it got even worse somehow? “Is this permanent?” I asked.

Liv looked at Ace and asked, “May I talk to Amelia alone?”

Ace, looking a bit suspicious of this odd request, simply replied, “Sure,” then went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Liv turned to me, admitting as she twiddled her fingers a little, “Well, I… designed it for Hector’s company, actually, and because of that, I can tell you that it shouldn’t last too long. It’s a smart bomb, and there should still be some of its nanomachines inside you.”

“Wh-What are nanomachines?” I asked.

“Tiny robots,” said Liv. “They look for anything resembling registered DNA in the respawn data storage and tear it apart within seconds. Since you’re obviously not registered in Turf War data storage, you’re still here. It might just be messing with your color pigments, because almost every living thing has them. It should still be safe, and they’ll shut down within a week.”

I was officially freaked out. There were _tiny machines inside me?!_ No, thank you!

_“Kids, come to the kitchen!”_ Nem-Nem called out.

Steeling my nerves, I walked out of my room, with Liv close behind me. Ace, having been waiting outside the room, saw my worried expression and took my hand. I looked at him, seeing him flash a grin, and just like that, I felt calm again. Things were a lot easier with him around. “Thank you,” I said.

“Hey, we’ve got your back,” he said, softly smiling.

Letting go, he walked up ahead of me, both of us heading into the kitchen. It wasn’t very big, I’ll tell you that. However, it was neat, clean, and it was incredibly comfortable. Nem-Nem placed a metal tray onto the table, where my eyes locked onto the sweets.

Brownies.

Although they were dairy-free, they were still amazing. Cacao trees were still very much a thing in this current age, thriving in the warm, humid climate. The brownies Nem-Nem normally made were very often soft, packed with dark chocolate.

Nem looked at my beanie, asking, “Why are you wearing that?”

“Just felt like it,” I said.

“Well, put it away,” she said. “You look nicer without it. Besides, you don’t want to have a bad case of hat hair, do you?”

“What’s hat hair?” asked Liv as she walked in, Bryson following closely behind.

“Oh, right, inklings don’t get hat hair. Um… Amelia’s hair is prone to getting messed up if it’s kept under a hat for too long, and I find it to be so unsettling that I need to brush it.”

“She brushes your hair?” Liv asked me.

I blushed, saying, “I-I can do it myself… I normally _do_. She only does that when it gets really bad.”

“I can’t _stand_ it,” stated Nem. “Gets so messy.”

“D-Do I _have_ to take it off?” I asked, hoping she’d say no.

“Yes,” she answered, my hopes dashed.

I slowly reached up, my hand trembling as I grabbed ahold of the beanie. I closed my eyes, then relaxed myself. Taking it off, I said, “Was hoping you didn’t see this…”

“Didn’t see what?” asked Nem, looking at me with curiosity. “Your hair’s not too bad right now. It’s fine.”

“You’re not mad?” I asked.

“Why would I be?” she asked back. “Not like it’s all over the place.”

Confused, I quickly walked into the living room and looked in the mirror, my hair back to its original dusty blonde color. How did…?

Walking back into the kitchen, stumped beyond confusion, I sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, looking down. Nem-Nem slid a plate across the table to me, the ceramic structure holding a brownie. Ace patted my back, knocking me out of my confusion. He smiled at me, and I smiled back, still a little concerned.

Picking up the brownie, I said, “Thank you, Nem-Nem.”

She then replied, “You’re welcome, kiddo.~”

Taking a bite, Bryson made an odd expression. It was as if he were puzzled. He seemed to inspect his food from all angles, as if wary of it. After swallowing, he said, “This _can’t_ be a brownie. It’s…”

“It’s what?” asked Nem. “Don’t tell me you’re a _critic_.”

“No,” he responded. “It’s… _too_ good.”

“They’re Nem’s special recipe,” I explained. “She’s never given it out to anyone. I hope to know it one day when I’m older, but for now, the secret stays with her.”

Nem patted my head, grinning proudly. “I’ve never met an inkling I couldn’t impress,” she claimed. “Those brownies have won first place, you know.”

Liv stared at her portion, looking confused. I asked her, “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve never had a brownie before,” she answered.

_“Never?”_ asked Ace. _“Like, NEVER EVER?”_

“Nuh-uh,” she replied. “Never.”

I understood why. Where she was from, they had probably never eaten sweets like these. I could only imagine what life was like living under a dictator like Octavio. I said to her, “Go ahead, try it!”

She looked up at me, picking up her brownie and taking a bite. I could see the surprise in her eyes as she sampled it for the first time. Without saying a word, she shoved the whole brownie in her mouth, ignoring how hot it must have been.

Nem-Nem seemed pleased to have seen someone enjoy her baking so much. “So, how do you like it?” she asked?

Liv blushed, looking shy as she muttered, “It’s _r-really_ good, miss…”

Ace, his mouth full, just gave a thumbs-up.

Suddenly, we heard the crash of thunder echoing throughout the house. Nem-Nem jumped, not expecting such a loud noise. “Oh, no!” she shouted. “Amelia, get the bucket! You know where the leak is!”

Sighing, I stood up. Storms usually happened here in Inkopolis during the autumn season, which we were already in the middle of. I didn’t want to, but I knew that if I didn’t get the bucket, the floor would become soaking wet.

I walked out of the kitchen and went down the hallway, opening the hallway closet where the bucket was kept. Taking it out, I set it down in front of the mirror, and as I did, water already dripped into it from above, the ceiling leaking.

Looking out the window, I saw the rain crashing violently down onto the ground, threatening to flood the city. Thankfully, there were many sewer drains that would keep the water from rising too high.

“I don’t know why I pay rent if they’re not going to fix that leak,” I heard Nem say as I walked back into the kitchen. “If they’re not gonna fix the roof, why should I even pay as much as I do now?”

I sat in my chair, pushing the remainder of my brownie into my mouth, my cheeks puffing out as I chewed in tasty bliss. The rich dark chocolate was often enough to make me forget all my worries, even in the worst of times. I just couldn’t help but smile.

“I don’t think we can go outside in this,” said Ace. “Rain is one thing, but… with this hard downpour, we’d explode in seconds.”

Inklings had a strange biology, one that I was forced to learn during my time here. Nem-Nem was strict with teaching me everything she could, even if I couldn’t read a textbook. She’d do everything she could to communicate efficiently with me so that she could at least get some basic knowledge into me.

Every inkling had an ink sac that was contained within a _very thin_ skin. This skin, when penetrated hard enough, could kill an inkling with ease, but… killing them was still not easy. Although their skin was thin, it was still tough, capable of reforming near-instantly if there wasn’t any foreign liquid disrupting it, such as water or enemy ink.

I wasn’t quite able to understand the logic of inklings being weak to water, considering their ancestors had come from the ocean, but I didn’t really feel like questioning it most days. It would simply make my head hurt from overthinking.

Nem-Nem shook her head, sighing. “Looks like you kids will be staying here for tonight. These storms don’t usually let up for quite a while.”

Bryson didn’t look very amused. Walking into the living room and looking out the window, he crossed his arms, staying silent. He seemed to be upset, so I stood up and walked over, giving him a hug.

“H-Hey, what gives?!” he asked, trying to pull away.

I stepped back, feeling bad about it. “Was just trying to make you feel better about the situation...”

“I don’t _do_ hugging,” he said with red cheeks.

I felt a little stupid after hearing that. What was I thinking? “Sorry,” I apologized. “Was just trying to help you feel better.”

As thunder crashed, he rolled his eyes. “I-It’s fine. Just don’t do it again.”

“Geez, Bryson. Can’t handle hugs?” asked Ace, grinning as he slowly approached Bryson.

Bryson eyed Ace warily. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, _nothin’_ ,” Ace replied. “Just, uh, gonna give a _hug_ to my _best friend_.”

“Don’t you _dare_ ,” warned Bryson, squinting his eyes. “I’ll splat you right here and now.”

“With _what?_ ” asked Ace. “You don’t have a weapon.”

“I _am_ a weapon,” said Bryson. Ace quickly tackled him, making him cry out, _“Let me go! You’re smothering me!”_

Ace had the biggest grin on his face. “Oh, c’mon, Bryson! Loosen up!” he said, getting up after having given Bryson the biggest bear hug ever. I pressed my hands against my stomach as I let out a much-needed laugh. Bryson simply rolled his eyes as he got back up, a small smile on his face.

The moment he caught my gaze, he stopped smiling, his cheeks tinting red. “I _am_ loose,” he said to Ace.

Liv, having finished her brownie, walked up to us, asking, “How long do you think we’ll be here?”

Ace rubbed the back of his neck, saying, “Storms like this usually last a few days, so we could be stuck here for a while.”

“I’m sorry, kiddos,” said Nem-Nem, walking over to the couch. “There’s some extra blankets in the hall closet. Make sure you each decide on one, and if you need to share one, then share. I’m not exactly the _richest_ anemone.”

As Bryson and Ace went over to the closet, Liv and I sat down on the couch with Nem. Liv, looking at me, said, “I’ve never been to a sleepover before.”

“I’ve never really done sleepovers either,” I responded. “What do we even _do_ at one?”

“When I was young, I’d gossip,” said Nem. “At a girls-only sleepover, it was _always_ gossip. We’d talk about celebrities and guys we liked. Sometimes we’d even play truth or dare, and that would usually end up in _hilarious_ hijinks!”

“Nem, does it get boring as you get older?” I asked. “You don’t seem to do that stuff anymore.”

Nem shifted her head from side to side, her hand twisting from side to side. “Ehhhhhh, yes and no. It’s kinda boring as you get older, but you get into more interesting things.”

“Like what?” I asked.

Nem shifted her eyes from side to side. “...Yes.”

That only confused me even more. I shrugged it off, not really wanting to push into the subject. If she didn’t want to tell me, then she must’ve had a good reason. I simply leaned against her, watching the television.

While Ace and Bryson argued over who got the fuzzier blanket, I let the sound of the rain lull me into a calm I couldn’t comprehend. I was just there, existing, the droplets seeming to echo in my mind and creating a peace that told me that everything would be okay in the end. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I had that same dream again from before the final Splatfest night. I was underwater in the deep ocean, feeling calm and free. There was a storm on the surface, artificial lightning partially illuminating the sea beneath. It was like a fireworks show, one that was very deadly.

As for me, I… was not human. I wasn’t an animal either. I was something else, something that had just gained awareness. My body felt strange, uncomfortable. With thanks to these strange booms from above, I had awakened in a new intelligence.

Surrounding me were fish of all colors, and I couldn’t help but feel they were trying to tell me something with the way they swarm around me. I followed them, deeper and deeper into the abyss below, their bioluminescence guiding me with their pretty glow.

I could hear the cries of the hunters above growing fainter, screams becoming whimpers as I escaped the perils from beyond our wet world. _We_ were safe down here. _We_ were at peace here, and no matter what, nothing would disturb our sanctuary in the darkness.

_But… we were wrong._

As the years rapidly passed by like blinking lights, I could feel the water growing thicker, a salty mix replacing what was once a clear purity, and with it came the leftover humans, donning the strange suits that allowed them to traverse forbidden territory.

_They had found us._

I woke up in the middle of the night, covered in a fuzzy blanket.. Nem-Nem was gone, and the storm was raging outside. She must have gone to bed, I thought. On the couch were Bryson and Liv, both covered up in their own separate blankets.

Looking out the window was Ace, standing motionless. I quietly got off the couch and approached him, whispering, “Are you okay?”

Ace turned his head to look at me, his eyes glowing in the dark. Smiling, he nodded and whispered, “Yeah. Just enjoying the rain.”

I stood a little closer, looking out the window with him. Lightning lit up the dark clouds, a faint boom of thunder ringing through the skies like drums. With the gentle static noise of the heavy rain, it was calming.

Ace seemed to shiver a little, looking cold. I couldn’t help but ask him, “Where’s your blanket?”

He pointed to Liv. “Gave her mine,” he said. “I don’t need it. I can handle the cold.”

His slight shivering told me otherwise. I took his hand and guided him to the couch, confusing him greatly. As I sat him down, I placed my blanket over him and sat beside him, a bit cold myself, but content to have helped him.

Considering that inklings were possibly cold-blooded, I was a bit worried he wouldn’t be able to handle the cold as much as I could, even if I did shiver quite a bit. I just wanted him to at least be warm.

He looked at me with suspicion, noticing my shivering, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught his eyes. “Hey, your arm,” he whispered.

I looked at my arm, realizing what he had seen. “They’re just goosebumps,” I assured.

“What are goosebumps?” he asked.

Inklings… didn’t get goosebumps?

“It’s, um, something that tells me I’m cold,” I tried to explain.

Ace looked on in understanding. “Well, then you need this,” he said, shuffling under the blanket. I tried to object, but before I could, he opened up the blanket and pressed his shoulders against mine, surprising me.

I thought he was going to just give the blanket to me, but… instead, he was sharing it, helping to spread the other half of it across me. I blushed, looking the other way.

We both tucked in our arms and legs, keeping to ourselves while both staying underneath the blanket. I continued to look away, a bit nervous. Was… he just being nice? Did he like me? Was that why he shared it? Or… was he just like this? He _did_ give Liv his blanket, so…

A loud crash of lightning made me jump, scrambling. He quickly shushed me, his finger to my lips as he pointed to Bryson and Liv, who were both stirring a bit from the sudden noise from outside.

“Don’t wanna wake ‘em,” he whispered, looking back at them. I calmed down, eventually getting tired once again.

“Sorry you guys got caught up here,” I said. “Your mom must be worried sick, huh?”

“My mom was pretty chill about it when I told her over text,” whispered Ace.

Looking at Liz and Bryson, my tired brain was eventually able to process a question, one I had never thought of before. “If inklings are cold-blooded, then… why blankets? If inklings can’t emit heat, then a blanket won’t help, right…?”

Ace chuckled and answered, “We’re not _entirely_ like that. I remembered learning about it in school once. We can generate heat, but it’s not as much as you. We’re actually warm-blooded, but because of our ancestors, most just like to think we’re cold-blooded.”

“So it’s a rumor taken as fact?” I yawned out, my eyelids feeling heavy.

Ace nodded. “We just kinda play along.”

As the thunder crashed, I moved my hand around until I could feel his, then firmly grasped it. He looked at me, not really reacting in any form of surprise. My tired mind wasn’t registering much in the way of embarrassment. I just liked how his hand felt, and I just wanted to hold it until I fell asleep.

“You okay, Amelia…?” he asked.

I yawned, nodding, not really caring. I could feel his hand tightening its grip, giving me the sense of safety I wanted. This storm was intense, and I didn’t want to feel scared by any more lightning crashes. I was content just holding it.

We stayed still for that time, his hand being enough to keep me at peace as I listened to the rain against the windows and the crashing of the thunder. “Thank you,” I whispered.

He waited a while before responding, “No problem… Get some sleep, alright?”

I kept his hand held firmly tight as I closed my eyes, drifting into sleep, entering a much more detailed dream than before.

I crawled onto land. I had escaped, but from what, I didn’t know. I only knew that I was finally able to get onto shore without problem. Others were accompanying me, and although we were new to the land, we still had the same survival instinct.

We did what we could, setting up shelters, sharing the workload, fishing, and even creating our own economy. We were a new species, having just evolved from our primitive ancestors, but we weren’t alone out here.

There were even more creatures, ones that we never thought we’d expect to see on land. All of the ocean life was rapidly evolving, scrambling to gain dominance on the surface. We were at war for a long time, centuries, even.

Eventually, we were able to set up villages by the ocean, doing what we could to survive. We began to trade with the other creatures, eventually creating a bond, and for a short while, we were happy even becoming friends with another species that was similar to us in every way.

Over nine thousand years had peacefully passed, and we were shocked to learn that the water levels were rising to swallow us back up into the salty womb of the ocean, where we could never survive nowadays.

Then the wars began once more, with our people fighting our foreign brothers and sisters. I was a warrior, holding a brush and ready to fight head-on to keep my wife and my daughter safe. When they sent me in, I was willing to die for the cause.

I fought with all I could, taking out as many as I could, my blood heating up higher than usual. I was boiling with rage, my brush taking the lives of many, not a single hint of remorse within me. As I approached the leader, I challenged him, but…

I wasn’t ready. I was _far_ from ready.

I was captured, having been taken far from my own home. I had been stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean, the memory of my family keeping me going. I’d get back somehow, whether I had to return as a spirit or as a wounded soldier.

As I screamed, I awoke from sleep, the dim light pouring in through the windows and casting across my face.

Nem-Nem poked her head into the room from the kitchen, a frying pan in her hand. She shook her head, dismissing it and saying, “Geez, Amelia, maybe I shouldn’t let you eat brownies before sleeping.”

“I-I’m fine,” I said, getting up. The storm was still raging, and I felt a little frustrated, my dreams making no sense these past few nights. If I could just find a way to keep my head together… I really needed to talk to Liv about these tiny robots.

They’d go away, right…?

Bryson was on the other end of the couch, watching the television, his shades off, the beautiful blue eyes watching the screen. “You sure do mumble a lot in your sleep, _noob_ ,” he commented.

“Sorr--”

_“What did I say?”_ he asked.

“N-Not to apologize,” I said, remembering.

“Is it _really_ that hard?” he asked.

I stood up, stretching myself out. “Yeah, yeah… I’ll try to remember,” I said, being sincere. I really needed to figure it out sooner or later. I didn’t want to disappoint Bryson.

Walking into the kitchen, I could smell shrimp and waffles. To most humans, I suppose it’d be an odd combination, but here, it was literally their culture. Seafood was always a part of it, and hardly anyone really cared about it.

Sitting in a chair, I saw Liv scrolling through her phone. “Hello,” she greeted, her eyes glued to the screen.

Still a little tired, I rested in my chair, leaning back. “Hi, Liv,” I tiredly greeted back. “Can we talk about that thing from yesterday?”

“What thi-- oh,” she replied, realizing what I had meant. “Yeah,” she answered.

Nem slid two plates over to me and Liv, smiling. “Here you go, girls,” she cheerfully said.

“Thank you, Nem-Nem,” I said as politely as possible.

As I took the first bite, Liv asked me, “Can you… survive in the rain?”

Looking at her, I nodded, my mouth full. “Mhm,” I replied.

“That’s so odd,” she said. “What is your biology like?”

After swallowing, I answered, “Um, meat, bones, lungs, a heart, a brain, and not much else, really.”

“Interesting,” said Liv.

After we finished breakfast, I took Liv to my room, where we sat and talked for a bit. According to her, the nanobots in my body would break down over time, but she wasn’t sure how long they’d last.

“So, is there a reason my arm stopped working during the final Splatfest night?” I asked as I sat on my bed. “It just kinda went limp. I just couldn’t move it.”

“Most likely a malfunction,” said Liv. “They have limited intelligence, and may do some wacky things.”

“Could they hurt me?” I asked, worried.

Liv shook her head. “They only look for anything resembling DNA, and most of the damage caused by them will usually be reversed on its own.”

I let out a sigh of relief, flopping onto my back. “Why would you make such a weird weapon?”

“It was Hector’s request,” she sighed out. “If he wanted to be recognized as a major brand company, he needed to at least produce _one_ special ability that inklings could use in Turf War, so he turned to me.”

I leaned against the wall, sighing, and looking at my hands. “So, these things are inside me now, and I can’t get rid of them…”

“Uh, Amelia,” Liv said, taking a few strands of my hair and yanking them out quickly, causing brief pain.

“Ow!” I cried out. “Why’d you do _tha--_ ”

The strands were dark blue…

Liv, thinking a little more, asked, “What were you feeling when Bryson and I won yesterday?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Your hair is completely blue,” she said. “Last time, it was constantly shifting colors.”

Thinking back, I said, “I… felt a lot of things. I was a little jealous… maybe a little mad, and pretty upset…”

Liv then said, “Try thinking about something that makes you happy.”

Happy…? I dug through my memories, going down memory lane. I remembered my brother and I, playing on the beach. Smiling, I thought about how he’d pretend to go down when I hit him with the fake sword/stick lightly. He always tried to make me feel like I was on equal ground.

I was _yanked_ out my memories as Liv _yanked_ another few strands of hair. “Ow!” I exclaimed. “Hey, those take time to grow back, you know!”

The strands were back to their usual sandy-blonde color. Liv then said, “I think it has something to do with your emotions.”

“Why?” I asked, feeling beyond stumped at this point.

Liv thought for the longest time, her eyes wandering a bit and going glassy. “Now, hear me out. This is _only_ a mostly-groundless hypothesis.”

I steadied myself, nodding. “Uh-huh?”

“When stressed with any kind of negative emotion, inklings and octolings have the habit of changing colors. I’ve never seen you do it before, and now that you are, I’m beginning to think the nanobots have gone into a mode that I had programmed into them a long time ago.”

“And… that mode is…?” I asked.

“If an inkling survives a Booyah Bomb, the nanobots will go into Healing Mode to try and fix the inkling back up,” she explained. “It was a way for the Kensa company to stay ethical with its weapons, a sort of way to say, ‘Hey, you survived being splatted. We won’t let you keep suffering ill-effects.’”

“So they’re trying to _heal_ me?” I queried. “But my _hair_ doesn’t _need_ healing.”

“That’s not what the nanobots think,” said Liv, putting a hand on my shoulder. “They probably think you’re an injured inkling or octoling, because if I’m right, your human DNA is similar to ours. We share the same appearance, which would also probably have slightly similar coding.”

“Why would they think I’m an inkling? Aren’t they supposed to be smart?” I asked.

“They’re a bit dumber than most would think,” she replied. “In fact, there’s no artificial intelligence. It’s merely a machine following instructions. They look through a DNA database of registered species and compare that to the body they’re in. Whatever’s closest, they’ll assume it’s that.

This alarmed me. If it was trying to fix me, what would happen? “Will this hurt me?” I asked, distressed.

She tightened her grip on my shoulder. “You’ll be fine,” she firmly said. “It shouldn’t do too much damage and that should be the full extent of it. I promise. They’re programmed to stop after a while.”

With her hand on my shoulder, I felt a sense of ease, wanting to trust her, and so I did. “Thank you, Liv,” I said.

She smiled, saying, “No problem, Amelia. And if it _does_ do more than what it should, come tell me. I have a kill switch back at home.”

My fears were calmed. With Liv’s knowledge, I felt much safer. From what I was taught, I knew that octarians were smart, and I mean _very_ smart, able to create all kinds of machinery.

And she was right. The rest of the week had passed, and there had been no more ill-effects. I had gotten some jealousy after being beaten multiple times by Bryson in the game, but my hair didn’t change color anymore.

Yet the weird dreams remained. I’d have them every night of that week, and they’d often put me in the shoes of some creature I could only assume was an inkling. The next few dreams were mostly about an inkling in different time periods. It was like I was seeing the rapid progress of civilization, and in a way, it made me a little sad.

I wondered what had happened to humanity. All of that progression… for nothing. Did they all die, or were they hiding on another continent elsewhere in large underground bunkers? I felt like I’d never truly know, and even though I wanted to be fine with it, my heart just wouldn’t let me get past the extinction of my kind.

_If I died, would there be another human left? Would my brother still be alive, or was there really no one else…?_

Suddenly, Nem snapped her fingers in front of me. “You’re doing it again, Amelia,” she said. I was on the couch, and next to me were my friends. Since the storm didn’t stop this week, we had been doing a movie binge.

Nem-Nem and I loved movies, and because of this, we would often go to the store and get a new one each month. Right now we were watching an action movie, but because of my own thoughts, I had gotten lost in a trance again.

“Sorry, Nem,” I replied.

Liv, who was fixated on the screen, stated, “There’s no possible way for this squid to survive that much heavy rain.”

Looking at the screen, I could tell what she was talking about. The action movie was about a ninja squid who had to defend her village from enemy octarians, but she was captured and was tied to a dead tree, forced to endure a thunderstorm much like this one.

Bryson shushed her. “Quiet, _noob_. This is getting interesting.”

“A lot of these movies don’t usually make sense,” I said to Liv. “It’s best to just enjoy it for what it is sometimes.”

As the inkling on-screen broke free of her bonds, she uttered a curse in an ancient inkling language, the subtitles on-screen reading, “I will get my vengeance!”

“This squid is hardcore,” muttered Bryson.

“Almost like she’s the protagonist,” joked Ace.

Ace was right. Most movies, especially like this one, had a character that could get through anything, even when it seemed bleak. I kept losing, so… I’m definitely no protagonist. If anything, it would probably be Ace or Bryson.

As the movie ended, Nem stood up and took a disk out from the movie case, getting out part two.

“Alright, kiddos. I think it’s safe to say it’s time for the second half,” she said.

“Rain’s gonna stop soon,” said Ace. “I think it’s time we headed back home.”

“How can you tell?” I asked.

“Inklings can sense when it’s going to rain,” answered Nem. “It’s a natural instinct.”

“Wait, so… you guys came here, despite knowing it was going to storm?” I asked, feeling bad about inviting them over.

“Yeah, so?” asked Ace. “We stick together.”

“I also have an umbrella,” said Bryson. “So, yeah.”

“I also knew,” said Liv.

Sure enough, just as Ace had predicted, the rain stopped, suddenly clearing up. Bryson went up to the front door, opened it, then ran out, shouting, _“FREEDOM!!!”_

“Couldn’t Bryson have left at any time?” I just remembered. “He just said he had an umbrella.”

Ace shrugged. “He’s been acting weird since we first met you.”

“Weird?” I asked.

“Yeah. Been a bit nicer, too, but that’s fine with me.” replied Ace, standing up. “Anyways, my mom probably wants me home now.”

“I should probably go, too,” said Liv. “I’ve gotta talk to Hector about a few things. And remember, Amelia… Don’t forget to call me if something happens.”

I assumed she was referring to our talk about the nanomachines. I haven’t experienced any symptoms for the rest of this week, so I felt safe. Nodding, I gave her a thumbs-up. “Thanks, Liv,” I said to her.

Liv, grinning, walked out the door with Ace, and as soon as Nem closed the door, she quickly walked back over to the couch and plopped down on it. She switched on the second movie disc, and it began.

As it played, my mind wandered. What would’ve happened had the nanomachines never stopped? Would I have been badly damaged? Would I have been stuck with colorful hair forever? Would anything else have happened?

Regardless, everything was back to normal, and I was happy with that. Since my week-long vacation was over, I’d be doing training with Nem-Nem tomorrow, and hopefully, I’d be able to win some turf wars and actually contribute to the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be out by Christmas, hopefully.


	8. What is Family?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia learns more about Bryson and eventually questions her own ties to Nem-Nem.

_“WE WALK AWAY FROM EXPLOSIONS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THEM!” - Pearl_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“That’s it, Amelia. Keep walking,” instructed Nem-Nem.

We were at the Tentatek company building, and I had been practicing my balance for two whole days. When Nem said she was going to train me, she meant it, and it was hardcore for someone like a human. I was expected to jump through hoops, walk on thin pipes, jump from platform to platform, and do all of the above with expert aim.

It was impossible, or at least, I thought it was at first. For some reason, I had been able to grasp the concepts quickly, and it wasn’t long until walking on thin pipes was second nature to me. Walking along one casually, I aimed my dualies at holographic targets.

Pulling the trigger, I splatted many who ran at me with fair ease. Nem watched me like a hawk, her gaze seeming to pierce through me. It wasn’t long until she jumped up onto the pipe and pulled out an N-Zap. I immediately held up my dualies to her face, both of us looking into each other’s eyes. She lowered her arm, and so I lowered mine.

“Good reflexes,” she commented. “But there’s one problem.”

“What?” I asked.

She drew her N-Zap back up again, catching me off guard and firing directly into my visor. “Don’t lower your defenses for _anyone_ ,” she said. “Not even _me_ . Inklings are cruel. The only reason they’re on top is that they had tenacity, willing to fight even _each other_ to create a crude hierarchy.”

“Why are they like this?” I asked her.

“No clue,” she said, shrugging. “It’s not my business.”

I then remembered that I needed to join up with Ace and Bryson for casual turf wars today.

“Hey, um, Nem? Could I go meet with my friends?” I asked.

She nodded. “I’ll take you to the square, then I’ll head home. Be back by eight.”

I nodded, and as we jogged to the square, I could feel pride. I was getting better, and it was all thanks to her, and even though I was still far from inkling-good, I was still content. I could do things I couldn’t before in my life. 

Running was a little easier after doing it for the past two days, and I felt good about it, feeling accomplished. I couldn’t wait to show Ace how my skills had improved. I wondered what he’d think about it. Would he be proud of me?

As soon as we reached the square, Nem patted my head and wished me well before heading home, then I ran over to Deca Tower, spotting both Ace and Bryson. Bryson seemed to be a little laxer today, his face simply having a neutral expression instead of the usual disgusted one.

Panting, I said, “H-Hey! Sorry if I’m late. I’ve been training with Nem!”

Bryson waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t care. It’s only casual turf wars today, at least for now. I still wanna get your rank up later.”

“Why do you suddenly care about her rank?” asked Ace. “Last I checked, you didn’t care. In fact, you didn’t even _want_ her rank to rise up.”

“Things change,” Bryson replied. “Just… I’m curious.”

“About?” I asked.

“Um… It’s nothing,” he quickly dismissed. “Go to the lobby and change into your suit so we can get going.”

In agreement, after I had swapped out my gear for the suit, we all stepped into the center of Deca Tower, and Ace hit the randomizer. The holographic screen glitched as it went through a variety of different places. Inevitably, it landed on one, and this… was a map I didn’t recognize. It was… a nearby beach, near an amusement park called Wahoo World. Before I could ask anything, I felt us warping, my body’s muscles tensing up. I closed my eyes, the bright lights nearly blinding me.

When it all stopped, I could hear the ocean. Opening my eyes, I noticed that we were on the spawn pad, and it was surrounded by sand. Were we actually going to play on the beach? Looking up, I could see that there wasn’t a single cloud, and the blue of the sky was rich in its color.

Next to us, the ocean looked clearer than what I had seen during my Salmon Run with Ace. It must’ve been the salmonids that caused the water over by that strange building to turn green with the sludge that would trail after them as they walked.

But here, the ocean was bluer, prettier, the water sparkling in the sunlight and making me want to go swimming. But… I wasn’t here to swim. I was here to enjoy a turf war. Looking around, I saw the enemy spawn point across the beach, and between us were two large wooden forts with wooden platforms around them, acting as towers, ramps, and bridges.

Bryson gritted his teeth, the tentacle side bang down his right side on his face turning red. “ _She’s_ here?”

“Who?” I asked.

 _“My big sister,”_ said Bryson, definite frustration in his voice.

I looked to where his gaze was pointed, and I could see our opponents across the beach. One in particular caught my eye, standing in front of the others. She must’ve been the leader.

She had Bryson’s dark skin tone and had a ponytail. Long twin tentacle bangs hung to her shoulders as well, and upon her face were tinted shades, giving her a mysterious vibe, and accompanying that style were her white and pink striped tank top, gray sweatpants, and dark brown motorcycle boots, but what stood out about her most was the weapon in her hand.

It was an older weapon, the _Bento Splat Charger_. While it had become obsolete, there were still many die-hard fans that just couldn’t part with it.

Bryson gripped his weapon tightly, the poor umbrella creaking under the stress of his clenching hands. _“Traitor,”_ he growled.

“It’s alright, Bryson. We can settle it in Turf War,” assured Ace.

Bryson simply stared at her. Noticing, she whispered to a pale inkling with a mohawk hairstyle next to her, and as she did, the inkling nodded in understanding, looking serious. 

“What?” I asked.

“That’s Team Fruit,” answered Ace. “It’s been said that they’re _beyond_ the X rank, in a class of their own. This is the second time I’ve seen them, and from what I remember… we’re gonna be slaughtered. That’s their leader, Guava.”

I was puzzled. “Guava?”

“Not her real name,” said Ace. “They all use codenames to fit the theme.”

I looked at Bryson, seeing his fingers tap on his umbrella nervously. His expression had a look of determination, as if he were about to go through a rite of passage. “My pride is on the line… This traitor left the family for the octarians.”

“Octarians?” I asked. “Why would she do that?”

“Her boyfriend,” Ace whispered into my ear. “He’s an octoling. Bryson’s dad didn’t approve, and so she just ran away. Bryson never talks about her.”

I see… Bryson had a sister he had never mentioned, and when she left for her boyfriend, he must have felt devastated, considering most inklings’ feelings towards octarians. I looked at him, seeing conflict in the expression on his face. This was so sudden, I wondered if he could handle himself for much longer.

I had the strangest feeling we were forgetting something, though... “Do we have a fourth with us?” I asked.

“R-Right here,” a timid voice answered. I turned around to see a shorter inkling with a bowl-cut, looking up at me with pink eyes. He wore a purple and pink ski jacket with a large collar, black shorts, and white, knee-high winter boots. In his hands was a Luna Blaster Neo, the newest model.

He didn’t really look like he belonged out here. His appearance was much like Dimitri’s, a younger kid. If this inkling went up against Team Fruit, I had a feeling he’d be massacred, and I really didn’t want to see his feelings get hurt.

I looked at Ace and asked, “Can we really do this?”

“I don’t mind,” he said, revving up his Hydra, the barrels spinning with an eagerness to them. He grinned at me, giving me an assured feeling.

Holding up my dualies, I looked at the kid and asked, “Is this your first time?”

“W-Well, I’ve p-played a few times…” he answered shyly. He avoided looking directly at me as he said, “I’m k-kinda okay at it…”

We were doomed.

As our phones beeped to start the match, the smaller inkling immediately ran out there, and panic mode set into me. I ran alongside him, spraying the sand with light blue ink. Bryson, fueled by rage, ran past me at a frightening speed.

Guava, who Bryson had approached, had a smug grin on her face as she raised her arms up, as if in surrender. Watching her do nothing as Bryson rushed towards her made me feel uneasy. I knew there’d be a pummeling, but for who…?

As quick as a flash, she pulled up her Bento Splat Charger, firing with quick precision right in Bryson’s face, splatting him. She smirked and said, “Sorry, lil bro.~ I guess I’m still the better turfer. Shouldn’t use your anger like that.”

Seeing me and my new inkling friend, she speeded towards us, her Bento raised. I quickly did a dodge roll, avoiding the shot. The younger inkling’s face suddenly turned serious, and he blasted the ground with ink with his Luna Blaster Neo as fast as he could, alternating between running and swimming.

He was fast, and so was she. With every shot she made, he’d quickly dodge and send back a blast, making her do backflips. Eventually, she dove into her team’s ink and swam back to get more space in between her and him.

I got up and joined the fight, jumping onto a platform and running along a bridge. Pointing down, I pulled the trigger and felt the rhythmic propulsion of ink spurting out from the dualies. This was power and adrenaline, and it made me feel ecstatic.

Dodging my blasts and his at the same time, she’d occasionally fire back. We just _couldn’t_ hit her. But then, Bryson came back, lunging onto her back. There was the fire of enragement in his eyes, the crazed squid ready to deliver justice as he saw fit.

 _“Guess who charged his special on the way over here!”_ he said with malice, his tentacled hair lighting up in light blue flames.

Try as she might, she couldn’t shake Bryson off of her. “You wouldn’t _dare!_ ” she angrily screamed.

He was using the Splashdown.

Bryson leapt off of her shoulders, straight up into the air, ink swirling around his fist. He then came back down with that fist, speeding with intense force, sending sand and ink flying everywhere. When the inksplosion cleared, she was gone, having been splatted.

I leapt off the bridge and landed into a roll, getting back up next to him. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“Stay out of my fight, _noob_ ,” he growled, pushing me gently away. “She’s had this coming for a long time, and I’m gonna make her suffer the entire game.”

He then ran off towards the enemy spawn point. The younger inkling who was with me earlier had chased some of the other team members around, toying with them and using his blaster to easily take them down whenever he wished.

So this was another expert player, going up against a team who was rumored to be in a rank beyond X, and he was beating them senseless. Meanwhile, Ace and Bryson had teamed up, with Ace placing ink mines around the spawn point to prevent Bryson’s sister and her team from escaping the wrath of the Hydra and the Undercover Umbrella.

It wasn’t enough, however. Two could still get through and back out into the field, only to be hunted by the new inkling. He seemed to have no concept of mercy, his face in a totally focused expression. He had the eyes of someone who had seen combat many times.

How was this shy inkling able to get over his bashfulness to fight in Turf War? It didn’t seem natural. Then again, this could’ve been a case of Turf Madness, but I wasn’t too sure. He didn’t have that crazed look. He was calm, confident, as if he had done this hundreds of times.

Suddenly, I was hit from behind. As soon as I was hit, I performed a dodge roll to quickly get away, quickly turning around to see the pale inkling Guava had whispered to before the match. He was holding a Sploosh-o-matic, a weapon meant primarily for inking turf quickly.

But that wasn’t what I needed to be worried about. He had suddenly activated his special, pulling what looked like a massive speaker out of nowhere. My eyes went wide in realization. This was the Killer Wail, a banned special weapon, and he was using it _on me_.

I quickly ran and jumped out of the way, the speaker blaring out a massive, physically-seen soundwave that matched his team’s color. It caught the new inkling in its path, splatting him, and I turned to the cheater who had snuck the Killer Wail into the match.

Most weapons were supposed to have been modified and fitted with what were considered to be more _ethical_ specials. I rushed him, and he smirked, jumping back while firing his Sploosh-o-matic.

It was getting difficult to dodge, and although I could utilize dodge rolls, I couldn’t always get out of the way, getting hit every so often. Meanwhile, I just couldn’t get _him_. He was too fast. It was exciting, making my heart beat faster. Over the course of a few seconds, I felt like the temperature was rising, my body feeling like it was on fire.

Losing all conscious thought, I lunged at him, sending an elbow into his stomach. He stumbled back and climbed up some platforms and onto his side’s wooden fort. Climbing after him without missing a beat, I was ready to _destroy_ him.

Chasing him through the fort, I could hardly touch him. It was difficult, but my rage kept me going. I could feel my body burning, but I didn’t care. As he exited out the other end and down the bridge, I followed, eventually catching up and hitting him with my dualies.

_He was prey._

My opponent was gone in an instant, exploding into ink, but I wasn’t _done yet_. I could see that the enemy team had eventually overcome Ace’s mines and had gotten back into the game, and I couldn’t have that happen. I climbed up to the top of the wooden fort, firing from above, using height to my advantage.

I was then hit in the side, one of the opponents having swam up here to take me out and to secure the enemy team’s win. I quickly aimed and fired, but he dodge-rolled, wielding dualies of his own. My first action was to get in close, performing my own rolls without the use of my dualies. Thanks to Nem, I was becoming a natural at this.

While he still hit me in the chest as I closed in, I was unsplattable, and I was going to take advantage of it, no matter the pain, no matter the cost. I rolled towards him and ended up with my dualies right against his chest.

_He let out a shout that was quickly silenced by my weapons._

Running out of the fort, I had decided to join the fight up close. If I could withstand the pain of the weapons, I could win. This ill temper of mine was our ticket to winning, and I wasn’t going to waste my newfound instincts. Jumping down, I went after one with a Splattershot Pro.

While he was able to hit me, the monstrous rage in me seemed to lighten the pain. I attacked with my dualies, the ink colliding with him and taking him out. From behind, I could hear the Sploosh-o-matic. _That cheater_.

I turned around and ran towards him, rolling to dodge his fire, then rolled again to reach him and pull my triggers once again. Taken out once again. I stood up, this fire within my seeming to be unquenchable. I needed more. _I needed to hunt them down_.

But…

It all ended when I was hit in the head from my right with high-pressured ink from the Bento Splat Charger. I could feel the full force, knocking me onto the ground. My vision went blurry, and I could see doubles of everything. My fighting spirit was gone, just like that.

As the heat left me, the pain from all the previous weapons had suddenly caught up to me. I groaned, unable to move. Hearing footsteps, I tried to get up, lest they hit me again, but as I was about to get off my knees, I was hit again.

“You’re that girl, aren’t you?” asked Guava. She chuckled, then said, “You’re lucky you can survive these, but you must be in _so much pain_ , huh?”

I then heard Bryson tackle her, followed by the sound of his weapon splatting her. I slowly stood up, my body in a lot of pain. I was sure I’d have bruises. “Thank you,” I said to Bryson.

Bryson didn’t even answer, rushing to the enemy spawn point instead to continue his endless assault on his sister. Ace ran up to me, then put his hand on my shoulder. He asked me, “Hey, what _was_ all that?”

I shook my head, saying, “I don’t know. I just felt frustrated because I couldn’t hit that guy.”

Ace rubbed his chin. “Weird... “

“What is it?” I asked, looking at him.

“It’s… nothing,” he said. “Just a thought. Anyways, what now? You wanna go celebrate? It looks like we won this one.”

I then felt a small hand tug on my hand. It was that smaller inkling from earlier. His cheeks went pink as he timidly said, “Y-You guys are pretty good. I’m Berry! C-Could I hang out with you all?”

Ace walked over to him and patted his head. “We’d love to, buddy, but what about your parents?”

 _“Berry Lancet, you get over here,_ **_right now_ ** _.”_

That voice… was so familiar. Looking over to where it had come from, my blood froze, my eyes widening as I saw him, the inkling from the television before my Turf War career had started, the one known as Doctor Scalpel.

The pale scientist was wearing a white lab coat and black, leather shoes. His hair, the mismatched assortment of white and black tentacles, writhed as if they were suddenly in pain. He pushed up his wireframe glasses and sighed, his gray eyes staring at the younger inkling. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was looking at me.

“C-Could I stay out a bit longer?” asked the shy inkling named Berry.

 **_“No,”_ ** he harshly answered. “You know how I feel about this archaic sport. To see my own _son_ participating among the _mindless brutes_ is a _disgrace_.”

Ace rolled his eyes, keeping his mouth shut. I could tell he had quite a few words he wanted to say to this guy, but knew better than to start a fight. Berry looked up at me with pleading eyes.

“Does he have to?” I asked, drawing Scalpel’s attention.

“That voice,” he said. “There’s not as many… _fluctuations_ to it as most inklings would have. The most peculiar accent. Are you foreign…?”

I was stuck, trying to find an answer. He could see through my pronunciations in the inkling language. I’ll admit, I was never good with it, feeling out of place.

Ace suddenly blurted out, “She’s from another continent. She’s been living here for four years, so she hasn’t fully caught on to the language here.”

He was a life-saver.

Scalpel tilted his head, tapping his foot. _“I see…_ **_Berry_ ** _. Get over here,_ **_now_ ** _.”_

Berry flinched, and I could hear his faint whimpering as he left my side and walked over to the scientist, but suddenly, he turned back and asked me. “C-Could I register?”

“Register?” I asked.

Ace walked over, having already pulled out his phone. “Waaaaay ahead of ya, buddy.”

Berry happily tapped his aqua phone against Ace’s, both phones beeping as info was exchanged.

Ace looked back at me and gave a thumbs-up. “You go back home, bud, alright?” he said to Berry.

Berry nodded and said, “Th-Thanks, d-dude!”

Scalpel grimaced at the use of slang. _“Ugh_ … Must you? You’re better than this.”

“Sorry,” whimpered Berry, running to his creepy father’s side.

My eyes met the scientist’s, and he suddenly smirked, saying, “Hm… _Another continent_ , huh…?”

I was sweating. Did he know _already?!_ No, no, Amelia… Gotta keep calm… I nodded and said, “Yes. Your city is amazing. Mine isn’t as… fun?”

His smirk went away, the scientist pushing his glasses up again. “Hm… I suppose I _could_ let my son interact with you every once in a while, but if he is harmed in any single one of these games, _you will suffer for it._ Do I make myself clear?”

I quickly nodded, scared of this creature. He looked down on Berry, the scientist’s nose twitching in disgust. I assumed he didn’t think too highly of Turf War, especially if his own son was playing in it.

“Come along, Berry. You have your studies waiting,” he said, walking away.

I could hear Berry whimper as he followed, “B-But I’m not good at math…”

“Hush,” Scalpel replied. “It’s for your own good.”

As they went out of earshot, I quickly sighed in relief. “Oh, my gosh… You think he knows?” I asked.

Ace patted my shoulder. “Nah. You’re covered from head to toe. There’s no way he’d known. That suit’s really useful.”

Bryson came running up to us, growling, “That traitor ran off with her half-baked team!”

“Those rumors must’ve been just that: rumors,” concluded Ace. “There’s no way they’re above X if we were able to beat ‘em. Then again… those guys weren’t the same inklings I saw with her last time.”

I raised a brow. “You mean, that’s not her original team?”

“Something tells me she ditched her crew,” assumed Bryson. “Just like how she ditched her _family_.”

“You wanna talk about it?” I asked, trying to be sympathetic. Considering Bryson was helping me find my brother, I wanted to help him as well. “I’m here for you.”

Bryson looked at me, seeming to contemplate my question. “Uh, I…”

Ace gently punched Bryson in the shoulder. “ _C’mon_ , my dude. She’s willing to listen.”

“Yeah,” agreed Bryson. “You’re right.”

And so, we went back to the square, where Bryson had explained the whole thing. Before Bryson could even reach his human form, he was basically just a young squid, walking on underdeveloped legs and really fearful of the chaotic world of today. His older sister was a prodigy, having risen through the ranks and gaining approval from most of the community.

But then, she introduced her boyfriend. No one knew he was an octoling at the time. Everyone just thought he was a regular inkling, and even her father approved of him. But then, after months of keeping quiet, the inkling had revealed his true colors, having been caught on camera stealing prototype gear from the Annaki company.

That was when his sister was forced to come clean. She had been working with the octarians, and her boyfriend was revealed to be an octoling. How she had gotten so involved was never quite explained. All Bryson knew was that she had left him at a time when he was most uncertain in his life, having normally looked up to her. To have her image shattered like that was devastating to him, and for weeks, he had cried at night, wondering what he did wrong.

“I’m sorry,” I said to him. “I had no idea.”

Bryson sipped from his soda, looking away from me and over to Ace.

“He still has dreams about it,” Ace commented. “I remember because he was sleeping over at my house one night and woke up crying.”

Bryson slammed an elbow into Ace’s stomach. _“Too much information,”_ grunted Bryson.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder. He leaned away from it, finishing his drink and tossing it into a nearby can.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, a hint of red in his cheeks. Was… he blushing? He suddenly shook his head and said, “Well, check out who decided to show up. Where were you earlier?”

Confused, I turned around, seeing Liv. She looked into my eyes with a sense of urgency in hers.

“Can we talk?” she asked. “Alone?”

I nodded, excusing myself as politely as I could, with Bryson simply shrugging it off. As Liv led me out of their hearing range and down an alleyway, she said to me, “I have an update on your brother.”

 **_“Where?!”_ ** I asked, my own excited breath fogging up my visor. I growled, taking it off. “Ugh… sorry, this stupid helmet is annoying at times.”

“I had to do some digging, but with help from an old teammate, I was able to pull up some files on him,” said Liv with a smile. “Mark was brought into Octo Valley four years ago, but I can’t seem to find out what had happened to him. There was something about him being asked to share his knowledge, but after that, it’s hard to find out where he went after.”

“Is he still alive?” I asked.

She nodded. “I’ve found nothing saying he isn’t, as his name is still in one of the more recent files that detail his work.”

Wait… what?

“His work?” I asked.

“He helped the Octarian Research Center, allowing them to use his DNA,” explained Liv.

I suddenly remembered what Henry had said during Splatfest. “Do you remember what I told you a while back about that helmeted octoling?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“He wanted my DNA, saying something about making humans from scratch,” I said to her.

“Odd,” she muttered, a puzzled expression on her face. “Do you know where he is?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t seen him since the Splatfest.”

“I can try to find him,” assured Liz. “Don’t you worry, okay?”

I nodded and said, “Thank you. I’m very grateful.”

Liz smiled softly and replied, “You shouldn’t be…”

Confused, I watched her walk back to where Ace and Bryson were.

I put my helmet back on, then I followed her back to the table, leaning against it. “So, um… what now?” I asked.

“Bryson’s still a little peeved,” replied Ace.

“I think I’m just gonna go home,” said Bryson, walking away. I felt a little bad that he had lost track of her after the match.

“Me too,” said Ace. “I promised my mom that I’d help her today with her shopping.”

“What about you?” I asked Liv.

“I’m gonna go see what I can do about that favor you asked me,” she replied, smiling.

Ace gave her a curious look, but simply shrugged and walked off, saying, “Well, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Don’t get into trouble, alright?”

And so, as everyone left, I decided I’d hang out in the square for a bit, and as I did, my eyes… just couldn’t help but wander towards a familiar grungy-looking building. Mr. Grizz’s Salmon Run business…

I remembered what that transporter had said earlier when I had stepped on it with Ace. It said that it recognized my genetic material. If it did… was my brother involved? I wanted to find out, so I stood up and went to the one place I never thought I’d go back to.

Of course, there was one problem…

The entrance had been sealed off with a sturdy, metal gate, and I didn’t have any tools. There had to be some other way in… If I couldn’t get in, I couldn’t find out the mysterious nature of this place.

Walking around the building, I found that there was a wooden door on the back with a rusty handle. Reaching for it, I was worried I might set off some hidden alarm. To my surprise, the handle broke right off, the door opening up with no resistance whatsoever.

 _Some security_ , I thought. Going inside was like walking into a dump, with junk littered all over the place, I was forced to walk over strange trinkets and gadgets scattered all over the floor. Every time my foot hit something, I would freeze, afraid that someone might hear me.

Finally, I made my way to an area of the building that looked familiar, _the spawn point_.

Stepping onto it, my phone immediately beeped. Pulling it out, it said what I had always suspected that it had said when I had first gone on a Salmon Run.

_Genetic Material Identified._

Unlike the first time, I didn’t seem to warp anywhere, and… I didn’t know what else to do with this information. I broke in here for _what_ , exactly? What was I even thinking?

“You okay?” a voice spoke from seemingly nowhere, startling me. I turned around, seeing Henry, his helmet on as usual. How did it get repaired…? I suppose the spawn points would recreate fabrics as well, or at least somehow obtain them through some special means that I didn’t know about.

“I’m not going with you,” I stated. No matter what he had offered earlier, I had this bad feeling in my gut about it.

“You don’t have to,” he said calmly. “I see you’ve found some of your kind’s tech.”

“ _My_ kind?” I queried. “Last I checked, this was inkling tech.”

“The stuff you see in _Turf War_ is inkling tech,” he explained. “This piece is from waaaaay back…”

“How do you know that?” I asked. “It looks exactly the same.”

Henry walked up to me, looking down at me. “Do you trust me?” he asked. With him being taller, I was intimidated, stepping back in a twinge of fear.

“Please, don’t get too close,” I warned.

“Amelia,” he said to me. “Do you trust me?”

 _“No,”_ I obviously answered. I didn’t know how he thought I would _ever_ trust him.

“Good,” he answered. “Though, I _was_ hoping for a yes.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I wanted to show you something,” he said. “It’s something that would help you understand your kind better.”

I… was curious. Whatever he was getting at, I couldn’t tell, but this curiosity of mine, it kept me wanting to learn more. “Show me,” I said.

He pushed through a pile of junk and moved past me, walking over to a counter. Upon it was the bear-shaped radio I had heard Mr. Grizz speak through before. Henry picked it up and turned his visor to face mine. “Mr. Grizz, as you can probably tell, is the owner of this place. Everyone knows by now, but what hardly anyone knows is that Mr. Grizz never existed.”

I was speechless, befuddled at his statement. “But I heard him through the radio,” I said.

“This isn’t a radio, Amelia,” he said to me. “It’s an artificial intelligence. Inside this ‘radio’ is a bunch of wires and circuits that make up a digital consciousness. While this place is closed, he becomes inactive, recharging, sorting through the data he’s gathered.”

“What does that have to do with my kind?” I asked. “There’s no way we could make something like this… right? He sounds too real.”

Henry chuckled. “If only you knew what humanity was capable of _besides_ destruction. This is an old relic. Believe it or not, a _human_ helped to restore it.”

“My brother?” I asked, stepping closer.

Henry patted me on the head, being taller than I. I didn’t appreciate the gesture. He said to me, “Maybe, maybe not… How many humans do you know?”

“There was only one who supposedly survived alongside me,” I said. “He's my brother, and… I know you’re the enemy, but…”

“You _really_ want to find him, don’t you?” he asked. I nodded, and he sighed. “Alright… I can take you into Octo Valley, but I want something first.”

“I’m not giving you my DNA,” I blurted out.

“I don’t want that,” he said. “Not for now, at least. Later in the future. For now, I want you to do something that’s a little hush-hush, okay?”

I hiked an eyebrow. “What?”

“There’s a concert this weekend,” he said as he looked under the speaker. “It’ll be at Starfish Mainstage, and I can get you a backstage pass if you’re willing to give a message to a friend of mine.”

“Is this some kind of… octarian intelligence I’m handing over?” I skeptically asked.

He chuckled again, this time a little louder, as if he were trying to hold back a bigger laugh. “No, no,” he assured. “It’s just a note. A small ‘hello’ is all. I haven’t seen her since she helped me a while back.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, handing it to me. I carefully took it, holding it gently. “What’s her name?” I asked.

“Almost afraid to tell you,” he said with a laugh. “There’s a lot of inklings who love her music. Her name is Marina, and she’s actually helped a lot of us. She no longer works with us, but… I’m still thankful that she was willing to _try_ and help me.”

I slowly took off my helmet, looking into his visor, my own face reflected back at me. I was a bit surprised that he said it was Marina, the famous singer from Off the Hook, but something else surprised me even more. He sounded… sad. “You’re not a bad guy, are you?” I asked.

“Not everything’s black and white, Amelia,” he softly said. “You’ll fully understand that later on in life.”

“...Okay,” I responded, nodding, my eyes looking down at the letter. “A lot has happened today in such a short time,” I said to him. “First, I find out Bryson has a sister, then I find out my brother’s alive, and then you come along.”

He put the speaker back, saying, “Funny how life works like that. There’s a big adventure for _everyone_. Sometimes you look for it, sometimes it looks for you.”

“Why were you so intent on getting my DNA?” I asked. “Why do you want to recreate humanity? If you guys have my brother’s, then why do you need _mine_?”

“Reasons beyond your understanding,” he said to me. “I promise, I will explain to you after you give Marina that note. When you’re finished, meet me by Deca Tower the next night. I’ll be waiting, and I’ll take you to find your brother.”

After the talk, he had left as quickly as he had arrived, and after leaving the building, I decided to go home, hoping Nem-Nem could make things a little better, but when I got there, I heard arguing.

As I entered through the front door, I heard them in the kitchen. Apparently, David had decided to visit, and he didn’t sound very happy…

 _“You are supposed to be_ **_responsible_ ** _for this child!”_ he shouted.

 _“David, I can’t just keep her cooped up forever!”_ Nem-Nem shouted back. As I stepped closer, the fight grew more intense.

David replied, _“You_ **_can_ ** _, and you_ **_will_ ** _, or you risk losing her! My job is on the line, her_ **_life_ ** _is on the line, and you let her go because she wants to go_ **_turfing_ ** _?! Have you gone insane?!”_

 _“You don’t know how she feels!”_ argued Nem. _“_ **_I’m_ ** _the one taking care of her!_ **_You’re_ ** _never around! How_ **_dare_ ** _you tell_ **_me_ ** _how to take care of my_ **_daughter_ ** _!”_

 _“What in the…?! Are you_ **_mad_ ** _?!”_ he asked. _“She’s not your daughter! She’s a human! She’s nothing like us! She’s nothing like_ **_you_ ** _! I should’ve known you couldn’t handle her!”_

That was it. I barged into the kitchen. _“Leave her alone!”_ I shouted.

David’s eyes opened a little wider when he saw me. “Amelia!”

Nem-Nem looked at me, then at David, then back at me, saying, “Amelia, weren’t you playing with your friends?”

“Things came up,” I said, steeling up my voice. “Don’t talk to her that way,” I said to David. “Th-That’s my mother.”

David rubbed his forehead, exhaling in a sigh. He said to me, “Amelia, you need to stop going out there. You are risking your own life every time you do this.”

“I don’t care!” I yelled. “I don’t want to stay inside! I need to find my brother! I want to have friends! Why can’t I do that?!”

“Amelia, this is a _ridiculous dream_ ,” he said. “Nem had told me everything. I thought I could trust you both to keep this quiet, but now that there’s an inkling that could potentially endanger this secret, I can’t accept that. You’re staying _here_ , and that’s _final_.”

“No, it’s not!” I dared to blurt out. There was some kind of fire within my chest, and I felt like it was going to burn a hole through me. “I’m fine on my own! I’ll keep wearing a disguise!”

David shook his head, a frustrated glare aimed towards Nem-Nem. Nem asked me, “Amelia, could you please g-go to your room?”

I wanted to stay. I wanted to defend my case. “I… can’t,” I dared to say.

“She doesn’t even listen to you,” David said to Nem, which I took great offense to.

“I-I do,” I said.

“She usually _does_ listen,” said Nem. “But this situation, I understand. We’re not just going to stop.”

“I have literally had to pay out of my own pocket to keep some _brat_ quiet!” argued David. “Do you know how _pathetic_ that was?!”

I was getting desperate. “Please, David! Please, just listen for a second!”

David folded his arms. “Well? Defend yourself.”

I took a deep breath, then said, “I just want a life, and staying inside isn’t living. I might as well be dead like the rest of my…”

David continued watching me, expecting me to continue.

“It was very lonely,” I weakly said. “I wanted friends, and now I _finally_ have them! You want me to just cut myself off from them?!”

“And what of your _obsession_ with Turf War?” he asked. “I can’t just let you keep competing. With you being unsplattable, it’s impossible for someone _not_ to notice!”

“B-But I have a suit!” I countered. “It’s a full-body one! It has a helmet and everything, and no one can see my face!”

David shook his head. “And if the helmet comes off in the middle of a match, you’re _done for_ . The government will be all over it! You’ll be dragged away, Nem-Nem will be left _alone_ , and you’ll have no one to blame but _yourself!_ ”

I tried to think of an argument, _any_ argument, but… I couldn’t say anything to defend my case. He was right. My heart dropped to the bottom of my chest, my feelings sinking low. I looked up at him, my eyes getting blurry with tears. I tried to hold them back as best I could, but…

Tears began to stream down my face. I had messed up badly, and I didn’t even figure it out until recently. “It’s n-not fair,” I choked out. “I don’t wanna stop, but I also don’t wanna leave Nem all alone!”

David’s expression softened. “Life isn’t fair, Amelia. You should’ve learned that fact the moment you woke up from the pod.”

I felt a hand on my shoulder, a firm grip reassuring me. Looking up, I saw Nem-Nem, who was looking at David as she said, “I made her do it.”

David stared at her with disbelief. “Did she not ask for this?”

“Well, she did, but… I was going to anyway,” she replied. “When you came to me with her, I was… skeptical. I hadn’t looked after a child since…”

I stared expectantly, wanting to hear her finish, but she continued, saying, “I was very hesitant to keep her under my watch, but after she had run off during her first month here, instinct just struck me. I searched frantically for her, and when I found her, I don’t know what hit me, but when I saw her crying, I had become attached.”

“And how did this influence your decision?” he asked.

“As I saw her grow more and more over the next four years, I felt pride,” said Nem. “I could see that she was becoming enamoured with Turf War, something that I was just as obsessed with in my younger years. I felt like I could share with her my old passion. She’d become my _legacy_.”

Her… legacy? She really _did_ see me as her daughter, so much that she had let me do this, something that she had loved years ago, but… I still wondered…

_Why did she quit?_

David had a serious expression. “And you expect me to let her keep doing this, just because you want a second chance through her?”

“It’s not a second chance for me,” said Nem with a soft smile. “It’s a second chance for her to live a normal life. Sure, she might not be like you or I, but… she doesn’t deserve to be kept prisoner. David, the stories she’s told me of her life before, it was so… depressing, with no kids her age, only one brother to keep her company, and two parents who were constantly fighting.”

David’s seriousness began to fade as she continued on, his expression replaced with what appeared to be pity.

“I know you wouldn’t take her from me, David,” she said softly. “You know how much this would affect her. You know how it would affect _anyone_ . She’s not some animal. She’s a _child_ , David, _my_ child.”

“You’re endangering her,” David muttered, trying to keep on track, but then he finally conceded. “F-Fine…”

Nem pulled David into a hug, with him looking at me as she did. He still had doubts, and I could tell. It was too obvious. “I’m sorry,” I said, hoping he could forgive me.

David gently pushed himself away from Nem’s hug, saying, “Don’t. I’m only letting this happen because I have no one else I can trust with you. I’ve known Nem since we were your age, but don’t take advantage of that fact. I’m still very much against what you’re doing.”

I sheepishly nodded, feeling guilty. I really loved Turf War, and Nem-Nem seemed to be in full support of my dream so far. David, however, seemed to be worried, the stress obviously cracking down on him.

“One day you’ll understand,” he said to me. “I’ve seen the science community toss aside ethics time and time again in the pursuit of advancement. You _do_ know I care for your safety, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” I responded.

“Good girl,” he said. “Well, I… suppose I should get going. My wife’s waiting for me at home and I promised I’d cook dinner tonight. It’s our anniversary, you see.”

“Sounds fun,” I said, trying to be as polite as possible.

He patted my head, then said goodbye to Nem-Nem, and before he closed the door behind him, he looked at me and said, “Stay safe, Amelia.”

I nodded in response, and when the door closed, I sighed in… I don’t know, relief? Depression? David had said a lot of things, and one of them kept nagging at me…

 _She’s not your daughter! She’s a human! She’s nothing like us! She’s nothing like_ **_you_ ** _!_

Just like that, I had felt out of place again. I… felt like I was desperate to hold onto a dream, like hands hanging onto a rope, and I was slipping. Would the world ever know about me and accept me? Would Ace even _consider_ going out with me if I asked him? These inklings, they were like humans, but David acted like they were water and fire, both completely different from each other. I didn’t want to think about it, but I couldn’t help myself.

Arms wrapped around me, and Nem-Nem asked me, “You okay, kiddo?”

I gently pushed her away, my hands raised chest-level, partially folded. “I’m too different,” I quietly said.

Nem’s expression was one of empathy. She kneeled to talk to me face-to-face. “Amelia, don’t listen to what anyone tells you. I know you’re going through a lot of doubt, but I can safely tell you that you’re no different from any of us.”

This pain in my chest throbbed. It was heavy, and I could hardly speak. I had to force myself to say, “I don’t even look like you. You said you consider me your daughter, but… we’re nothing alike.”

Nem shook her head. “Amelia, don’t think about what David said. He doesn’t understand his own world, a world where all sea creatures came onto land and created a thriving society where we could live together in peace. Sure, you and I may be considered different from inklings, but has that ever stopped us from living life before…?”

I shook my head, trying to keep my tears from coming out and failing. Nem’s hair glowed a beautiful purple as she pulled me into a warm hug. Laying my head against her chest, the pain slowly went away.

“You wanna know something, Amelia?” she asked.

Staying in her grasp, I replied, “What?”

“You act just like I did when I was your age,” she said. “I had the same feelings of doubt, an anemone in an inkling’s world going up against them with little-to-no support from my parents. Grandpa Nema saw promise in me, and he taught me everything I’m teaching you right now.”

“Really…?” I asked.

She patted my back and said, “Yep... Carry that torch high. Because one day, I’ll be gone, and you won’t have me to defend you. I want you to be strong, and I want you to be proud of yourself for the tenacity you wield.”

I wasn’t perfect, and even though my confidence kept faltering, I couldn’t let that stay for long. That was part of growing up, I guessed. When I thought about it, Nem was completely right. She wouldn’t be around forever. Even though spawn machines were meant to bring back inklings, it could only work so well on other creatures.

Scientists had thought about tying inklings to them at a young age, then letting those inklings progress through life. Theoretically, if the inklings were at an age where their bodies could fail, the spawn point could possibly bring them back, turning back the clock to the age where they registered on the machine, becoming youthful again.

However, there were a lot of ethical dilemmas that came attached with the theory, such as the possibility of the revived inklings losing their memories. If information from the old brain couldn’t be contained in a younger one, it could very well cause problems in the future.

Immortality was most likely attainable, but an inkling would have to be able to accept the risks of forgetting who they once were and starting all over again. For creatures like Nem-Nem, the spawn point could only replicate them a certain number of times a day, and sometimes there’d even be some genetic differences. If Nem died, they might be able to bring her back, but… at what cost, I didn’t know.

Because of these differences between creatures, the government wanted to hold off on making it a reality until _all_ creatures could be properly reassembled. They _were_ going to go ahead and just do it, but after an uprising of jellyfish, anemone, and crustacea, a law was passed for experiments to only become publicly available after it had passed testing on _all_ creatures. Immortality was so close, yet so far away. But for now, I’d have to learn to defend myself and handle my own emotional distress, for the future.

_And hopefully, I could find my brother after I helped out Henry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I'm not going to stop writing.
> 
> Though, be aware, I did suffer from a panic attack lately. I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow.


	9. The Lost and the Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amelia goes to find her brother in Octo Valley, but ends up finding out more than she could handle.

_“Can't beat turning up the volume and rocking out!” - Callie_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve been to a concert before, but never one like _this_ . It was nighttime, and the crowd was _packed_ with all kinds of creatures. On stage was the famous band, Wet Floor. Composed of three inklings, an eel, and a candy crab, these guys were one of the largest bands out there.

Henry had given me both tickets and a backstage pass, and even though I wanted to hang around to enjoy the music, my brother was more important. I would’ve done anything to see him again, to tell him how much I missed him.

As I went backstage, I could see a big crustacean, his frame built for upper body strength. I tried not to quiver in fear as I approached him, his beady black eyes staring at me and assessing me for any threats to the bands inside.

“No fangirls. Go back to the crowd,” he said. I reached into my pocket and shakily pulled out the card, presenting it to him. He seemed a bit hesitant, but he nodded and stepped aside. “Are you a friend?” he asked.

“Kinda,” I said, thinking back to Henry.

As I opened the door, I could hear the sound of an electronic piano being played, an experimental tune sounding throughout the fairly large room. The floor had a nice carpet, and all around was soft-looking and exotic furniture. Multiple band members were sitting in them, chatting amongst each other. Some of them looked my way, and I couldn’t help but feel judged.

I walked into the hallway leading to the next room. I needed to find Marina, the singer I had seen on stage at the Splatfest. All I had to do was give this letter to her, and then I’d get into Octo Valley to find my brother.

 _“Yo, Marina! Where’d you put the ice cream?!”_ I heard a voice shout. It sounded very familiar.

 _“I think Kazami got into it last night,”_ replied Marina.

As I walked into the room, slightly smaller than the previous, I saw the famous rapper, Pearl, digging through a small fridge. She eventually closed it, her hands on her hips. “Ugh, every time she performs with us, she always gets ahold of the good stuff! She’s so… uh… Marina, I need a word.”

“Intrusive? Invasive? Pushy? Selfish?” Marina suggested.

 _“Shellfish,”_ said Pearl with a grin.

Marina just smiled at Pearl’s joke, but then she saw me, her eyes locking onto mine, her smile leaving. I quickly stepped back, feeling regretful. I must’ve bothered her, right? What was I thinking, coming in here? I could’ve just asked the guard to give the letter to her. The pass would’ve convinced him to do that, right? I didn’t need to come in here myself, right?

“What’s up?” Pearl asked her, and as Marine pointed, Pearl turned her head, looking at me. “Oh, a fan.”

“That’s no fan,” said Marina. Oh no…

“Well, why _else_ would they be here?” asked Pearl. “Hey, kid! Get over here!”

Did Marina really know I was a human? All I was wearing tonight was my regular street gear, with my beanie covering my hair up. Shyly walking over, I felt nervous. These were two pop icons, the freshest of the fresh, almost as well-known as the Squid Sisters.

Pearl held out her fist, and I froze, confused. She looked at me, her eyes narrowing as she said, “Well? Bump it!”

“A-Alright,” I said. I held out my hand, balling it into a fist, then bumped it up against Pearl’s. She then grinned, patting me on the back.

“Don’t gotta be shy around the freshest,” said Pearl.

“Um, Pearl?” Marina spoke up. “Didn’t you say you needed to rehearse that new rap solo earlier?”

Pearl grinned wide. “Hey, you’re right! I almost forgot! Thanks!” she spouted as she ran off, leaving me alone with Marina, and as I looked at her, she smiled, motioning her hand towards a swivel chair in the corner.

I was anxious. I didn’t know what to say to her, my mind blank as I walked over to the chair. I sat down, my heart beating even faster, my mind still racing for words. When I finally _did_ find words, I spouted, _“Y-Your music is good!”_

Marina blinked in surprise at my loud shouting. “Uh, thank you?” she replied. After clearing her throat, she asked me, “How long have you been in Inkopolis?”

I stared at her, my body frozen. My mind wasn’t thinking fast enough.

Marina scooted her chair close to mine and said, “I’ve heard a lot about you. I didn’t think I’d see a human up close before.”

I stayed quiet, my mind blank. I couldn’t remember why I was here. Clenching my fists, I felt like I was going to freak out. Then it all came back to me, and I finally said, “I-I have a message for you!”

Marina’s smile went away. “A message?”

I nodded. “Y-Yeah,” I said. “From Henry.”

Marina tilted her head. “I don’t know anyone named Henry.”

I was a bit confused. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the letter and handed it to her, and after she opened it and pulled out the contents, she read the paper, her head nodding in understanding. Looking at me, she seemed to have some kind of odd look to her.

Was that... pity I saw?

“I see what this is,” she said, quickly turning her pity expression into more of a comforting smile. “I know who you’re talking about now.”

I twiddled my fingers around each other for a bit. “Sorry if I’ve bothered you,” I said.

“What’s your story?” asked Marina, surprising me. “Must be a long one if you’re out of your own era.”

I rubbed the back of my neck as I looked down and avoided eye contact, my palms sweating a little. “Hard to explain,” I timidly answered. “Parents are gone, and I’ve lost my brother. I’m trying to find him.”

Marina seemed awfully quiet until I heard the sound of a keyboard. Looking up, I saw her typing on her laptop, her eyes focused on the screen. Seeing that I had noticed, she raised a finger, and so I waited for her to finish.

Marina smiled as she hit the final key. She turned the laptop, the screen facing me, and on it, I could see what looked to be pictures, and… they were of my brother. I froze up as I saw him laying in some kind of strange metal cylinder with a white cotton interior, and attached to his arms were clear stickers with wires attached to them.

I was very surprised she was able to find this. “H-How did…?”

“I have my ways,~” she said. “Whenever I’m homesick, I still log in to the octarian network from time to time, and sometimes I even talk to some old friends.”

With my eyes still on the strange cylinder, I fearfully asked, “Wh-What is that?”

Marina looked at the picture and said, “Don’t worry. It’s a standard medical stasis chamber.”

I shook my head. “It looks almost like a... coffin,” I said, unsettled and worried.

Marina placed a hand on my shoulder. “Would you like me to see if he’s still… you know?”

I nodded, hopeful. I don’t know why, but I felt that if I heard it from her, my fears would’ve been quelled. “Yes, please,” I replied.

Marina pulled the laptop back towards her and began typing once more, her fingers sliding across the mousepad on occasion. Eventually, she stopped and smiled. “Oh, he’s definitely alive.”

“He is?” I asked.

“Mhm. I’m seeing entries about a human male that were filed yesterday,” she clarified. “That picture you saw was from… around three years ago.”

I placed my hand against my chest, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Th-Thank you,” I said.

“So,” said Marina. “Why’d _Henry_ ask you to deliver this?”

“I asked him to take me to Octo Valley so I could find my brother,” I said.

Marina’s eyes showed concern. “That’s… good.”

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“N-No,” said Marina. “It’s just unusual to hear of him helping someone.”

“He did say you tried to help him,” I said.

Marina sat back in her chair, staring at her laptop. “I did. He just… wouldn’t take it. Said he needed to stay for reasons he couldn’t explain to me.”

“Maybe he’ll leave Octo Valley one day,” I suggested. “Maybe he’s just waiting for the right time.”

Marina smiled at me, looking reassured. “Maybe.~”

After a bit more talking, telling her my story, and getting more reassurance from her, she sent me on my way, but not before signing my shirt. I just couldn’t help but ask for her autograph. After all, it wasn’t every day that you meet a celebrity. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get Pearl’s signature, as she had seemed to be elsewhere, possibly in some private area and practicing her piece.

On my way out of the concert, I was suddenly bumped into, an older inkling looking down at me, her blazing-red tentacled hair styled in what appeared to be the squid equivalent of a mohawk. On her right arm was a tattoo of a busted-up blaster, its inner components looking like they had been scattered across the rest of her arm. She wore a black leather jacket with the sleeves cut off, leather pants, and black leather boots, items that looked like Rockenburg pieces.

Looking down at me with red eyes, she looked disgusted. “Watch where you’re going, _brand_.”

“Brand?” I asked, confused.

“You know, a _brand_ ,” she clarified. “The same as everyone else, stuck in a school with the rest of the small fry.”

I felt a bit conflicted from this. Twiddling my fingers, I timidly said, “W-Well, I like to _think_ I’m the same, but…”

She hiked a brow, her disgust leaving her face, the girl seeming interested. “Oh, really? What makes _you_ different from the rest of the crowd?”

I wanted to show her my hair, but… I know it wasn’t worth it. “I’m just not as _cool_ , I guess,” I made up. “Not made up of the same stuff.”

“That _skill_ they say they got, huh?” she asked, grinning. “...I like you.”

I looked up at her, very confused.

“So, kid,” she said. “They bullying you? Did they say you weren’t _fresh_? If they are, don’t listen to ‘em.”

Was she trying to cheer me up or something…? I didn’t understand her deal at all. First she was mean, and now she was showing sympathy?

“I went through the same thing,” she said, holding up her arm and flexing it, her tattoo getting a little wider. “I didn’t like doing the same thing as the rest of them, and they made fun of me for it, saying I wasn’t _raw_ enough.”

“Really?” I asked, intrigued.

“Defs!” she confirmed. “These punks think they’re so special just because they can afford the fancy brands and play with the same tactics as the rest, but they’re _nothin_ ’ like you and me.”

I really wanted to tell her how I was different, how I still felt foreign to the world, even with Nem’s assurances. Here she was, some random inkling with a different style from the rest, trying to cheer me up, and I couldn’t help but appreciate that.

“Wh-What’s your name?” I asked.

“Name’s not important,” she said. “I just call myself _Wreckage_ , cuz I _wreck_ the competition!”

“N-Nice to meet you,” I said, putting on my best smile.

“You should hang with me,” she said. “I can hook you up with the _best_ of weapons.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “M-Maybe next week?”

“Whichever time, I guess,” she said with a smirk. “When you can, meet me at the docks near this place. I’m always hangin’ out under ‘em.”

“Aren’t you afraid of the high tides?” I asked, knowing that the beach would flood on occasion.

“Nah,” she answered. “There’s a cave underneath the docks. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who knows about it. I’ve got it _filled_ with furniture.”

That sounded pretty cool, actually, like a small hideout. Did she live on her own in there? If so, did she ever feel lonely? Maybe I could bring Ace, Bryson, and Liv? “Can I bring my friends?” I asked.

“They as cool as _you_?” she asked.

“Y-Yeah!” I answered. “They’re really accepting!”

“Heh… Nice,” she said. “Alright. You go on. I’ve got a concert to pirate.”

“Pirate?” I queried.

She held up what looked like a small tape recorder. “Yeah. I ain’t payin’ for that. Gettin’ up close is best, and if I’m right, their best song is bein’ saved for last.”

I didn’t know how to feel about that. If she couldn’t afford it, was it still okay? I shook my head. It wasn’t my business, so I smiled at her and went on my way, saying goodbye. I really like her attitude, because she didn’t seem to care what others thought about her.

When I walked away from the concert, I was approached by Henry. His visor, covering his face as always, kept me from seeing his expressions. Without a word, he held out his hand, and I hesitantly took it, letting him lead me out of the city.

Octo Valley was… different. It was mountainous, and there were entrances that led inside. Although I wanted to enjoy the scenery of this peaceful place, I had to go inside to find my brother. I was so close. I could feel it.

Henry led me down a metal tunnel, where it eventually led to a massive dome, bigger than what I could have ever imagined. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were outside, but with the way this dome was structured, I knew we couldn’t be on the surface.

So many buildings were within, buildings from humanity’s past, and it made me wonder if these were the bunkers that were designed for us. If they were, then Henry was right. I had no idea what humanity was capable of.

“I could have never imagined this,” I breathlessly said, looking up at the buildings around us as we walked down the streets.

“Humans had much to offer in the field of science,” said Henry. “The machinations of the human mind were staggering, terrifying, beautiful.”

“And to think, humans did this,” I said.

As we approached a small building, Henry tightened his grip on my hand, the older octoling seeming worried. “I need you to keep quiet,” he said. “Don’t say anything when we enter. Don’t look at anyone and don’t touch anything. I’m your only shield here. Otherwise, they’d swarm. They’ll know what you are the moment they see you.”

That scared me a little. Henry was just one octoling, and we were entering a building full of his kind? How could he protect me? I had no way of turning back now, so I said, “Okay.”

As we approached the metal door, it slid open, allowing us into a small room. I could already see other octolings, and the moment I did, I looked down. I tightened my grip on his hand, filled with a bit of fear. I was doing this for my brother. I just needed to get to him.

I should’ve brought my suit…

 _“What’s she doing here?”_ a girl asked.

 _“Sweet cod, it’s another one,”_ said a boy.

I scooted closer to Henry, fearful that they might try something. I could hear murmuring from multiple octolings, and before we could progress through the rest of the room, we were stopped, and I could feel Henry clenching my hand tight.

 _“Back away,”_ I heard him say. “This is _my_ find. _I’m_ reporting her. If you even _think_ about taking credit, I’ll _end_ you.”

Whoever Henry was speaking to, they stepped away, allowing us to progress. When we entered the hallway, I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, gosh… That was scary,” I whispered.

“A lot of them can be near-animalistic. This is due to a lack of training. Octolings may be smart, but it’s an untrained octoling you need to look out for. Those of us who are trained refuse to give in to our urges to hunt.”

 _“Hunt?”_ I repeated with worry.

Henry chuckled, then patted my head. “Humans may be apex, but they’re nothing compared to something as savage as an octoling, as predatory, as efficient.”

I didn’t like how he said that. It was… scary, thinking of octolings like that. Liz had never come across that way. Hector did, at least a little, but Henry… here he was, trying to protect me, but he acted as if he could turn on me at any moment, talking about the instincts of his species as if it was completely natural. To me, it was anything _but_ natural.

“C-Could you _not_ talk about that?” I asked.

He looked at me, his visor keeping me from discerning his expression. “Sorry,” he said. “Sometimes I forget what you are.”

At the end of the hallway was a metal door. As we stopped in front of it, he cleared his throat, then placed his hand on the cool metal, the door beeping before sliding up, allowing us entrance into a large laboratory.

All around us, I could see octolings everywhere, all of them in lab coats and wearing strange goggles. It wasn’t long before they caught sight of me, staring. I once again avoided eye contact, looking down as he led me over to a chair by the wall on the other side of the room.

“Do you trust me?” he asked me.

“N-...Yes,” I said, willing to do anything to see my brother.

“Sit here,” he said. “I’ll be back.”

And so, I sat and waited for what felt like the longest time. On occasion, an octoling would stop by, staring at me, their eyes scaring me. There was something abnormal about those eyes, something anomalous, frightening, blood-freezing. I could feel them staring at me like I was prey, and I wanted nothing more than to leave.

But I knew I couldn’t. I needed to stay here, for my brother. I wanted to tell him how much I missed him. I wanted him to know that I felt empty without him. I wanted to be a family again, and I’d do anything to---

_“Amelia.”_

Frightening me a bit, I saw Henry sit down next to me, and sitting in another chair on the other side of me was an octoling girl his age. She looked down at me with cold, ice-blue eyes that made me feel like I was being sized up. Her attire was completely white. White lab coat, white boots, and white gloves. The back of her tentacle hair hung down past her shoulders while the front was simply short bangs of sorts.

“So, _this_ is her,” she said with a soft smile, observing me through her square-frame glasses. Pushing them up, she said, “Hello, sweetie. I hear you’re looking for your sibling?”

I nodded, filled with hope. “Y-You know where he is?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “I’ve worked with him for a long time now,” she said. She held out her hand and said, “Come on.”

I took her hand, and she led me into a small room, with Henry staying just outside the door. Turning to him, she said, “I need you to check on the stasis chambers.”

“Why?” asked Henry.

 _“Was that a question?”_ she asked. “That’s not like you, Henry. That’s not like you at all… You’re usually so much more polished.”

Henry’s visor glanced over to me. “I… promised her I’d help her find her brother.”

The octoling woman smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Aw, still sweet, I see, after _all_ these years.”

As she leaned against his shoulder, Henry didn’t give anything away with his helmeted face. “Ophelia, there’s a child here.”

The octoling woman, apparently named Ophelia, turned her smile into more of a smug smirk. “Are you professional or not, Henry? Can’t play hot and cold all day. Go check on the stasis chambers. _Please?_ ”

Henry looked at me, then turned, walking away as told. Ophelia closed the door, and when I turned around to see where I was, I realized I was in what looked like a hospital room. I backed up, bumping into the metal door behind me.

“When will he be here?” I asked her.

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said. “You’ll meet him soon. Just sit on that bed right there.”

She pointed to a patient bed, and I very warily listened, climbing up onto it. I looked at her as she dug through a drawer from a cabinet. “How long?” I asked, getting scared.

She pulled out a syringe, her eyes looking up at me. “Oh, about ten minutes or so, but before you can meet him, you need to take a special injection.”

“N-No, thank you,” I said, tensing up. “I’d rather see him first.”

“There’s no refusing,” she said. He had to take it, and so do you. I promise you’ll see him if you just let me--”

“How do I know that’s not gonna… you know… hurt me?” I asked, scooting away.

“It’ll help you resist the disease,” she said.

...D-Disease? I looked at her with concern. “What disease?” I asked, slowly raising my arm up to her.

“Oh, it’s nothing too serious. Something that’s… been becoming more prevalent,” she said, injecting the odd substance. After removing the syringe from my arm, she stepped back, staring at me, as if expecting something. After a few seconds, her lips curved downward a little, as if she were greatly confused.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Where is he?”

“I _did_ promise he’d be here, didn’t I?” she replied. She approached me, looking at my arm. _“So intriguing…”_

I gently pulled my arm away. “P-Please, let me see him?”

“Y-Yes,” she said. “Just… stay here,” she told me. She left the room, and I waited. I waited for a long time. According to the clock, an hour had passed, and I was getting restless.

Jumping off the bed, I walked to the door and opened it, only to be met by another octoling wearing strange metal goggles. Pointing back to the hospital bed, he said, “Wait there, human.”

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Where’s Henry? Can I just talk to Henry for a bit?”

The octoling shoved me further into the room. “ _Do as you’re told._ Don’t be stubborn.”

I was scared now. They weren’t going to let me leave, and I knew I couldn’t do so by myself. What I had gotten myself into was more than I could handle. I didn’t know what to do. Stepping back, I got back on the bed, folding my hands, feeling intimidated. The octoling closed the door, and I huddled up by the wall. I had made a big mistake. I didn’t have my weapons, and I wasn’t sure if I could remember the way out.

What if I just barged my way out and winged it? Surely, they couldn’t just… No, I remember what Henry had said. Octolings liked hunting, especially the untrained ones.

I pulled out my phone, sending a text to Ace, Bryson, and Liv. Looking at the time, it was almost midnight. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be asleep at this hour. I sent out whatever clues I could, telling him where I was with as much detail as possible. I couldn’t exactly give an address…

As for Nem-Nem… If she knew I was out here, she’d stress badly. I couldn’t let her know, not until later. I trusted her, but I knew that now wasn’t the time. I needed to keep calm, and I needed to remember my training from her.

Suddenly, the door opened, and I looked up, Ophelia seeing my phone. Her lips curled into a sinister sneer, that mocking smile making me uneasy. “Making a call, are you?”

I clutched my phone tightly, scared. “N-No, ma’am!”

“Hand it over right now,” she commanded. I held out my phone, and she snatched it. Looking at the screen, she said, “You’re lucky we have tight security. No one’s ever gotten in this far by force.”

She put my phone in her lab coat pocket and she held out her hand to me. Hopping off the bed, I slowly made my way over, reaching out to take it. Avoiding eye contact, I let her lead me through the facility, and as we did, I could feel others staring at me as we walked.

“Your brother is very intelligent,” she said as we walked. I stayed quiet, intimidated by her. Her gloved hands were cold, and there was certainly nothing friendly about her grip. “When I first found him, he was very dazed, having just woken up. Poor dear thought I was an angel of death.”

 _Gee, I wonder why. With those eyes,_ **_I_ ** _would have, too._

“He was so sweet, though. Kept asking about your condition,” she said. “Unfortunately, I was told to only bring _him_ in. Being the obedient soldier I was, I did as I was told.”

“So you left me there to stay frozen for an eternity,” I muttered.

 _“Yes,”_ she coldly answered. “Of course, that didn’t stop him from trying to see you. He knew we wouldn’t just go back unless you were deemed useful.”

“So you… left me because I wasn’t useful,” I said.

“Correct,” she answered. “It’s funny how the females of your species are considered weaker in muscle strength. In the octarian race, it’s only the females who become the elite. But, who were _we_ to question evolution? It was only natural that we left you.”

I wanted to hurt her. I wanted to use all my training to pull her head down and slam my knee into her face, just to knock some sense into her, but I knew I couldn’t. She was potentially taking me to my brother, and I was willing to put up with her for a little longer just to see him.

“And then… he convinced me to let him check on you,” she said. “I pitied him, and after all he had done to get me through my own missions, I had an obligation to help him. It’s not like I _didn’t want_ to help. Octavio is a very complex leader with very complex goals.”

…

“I… regret a lot of things,” she confessed.

I looked up at her. “So you regret--”

“Leaving you there?” she finished. “Yes, because of how he felt. Emotion is something I can’t fully understand. Hardly _any_ of us can understand it. Often, I’ll hear of an octoling who had escaped and had come back to try to convince one of us to leave. Of course, most times when they _do_ come back to try it, we merely re-educate them.”

Oh…

“Unfortunately, I have one more thing to regret,” she said.

Something clicked in me. “And that is…?”

“I regret to inform you that we can’t let you see him,” she said, making me tense up. “In fact, I also regret to inform you that you won’t remember _anything_ by the time we’re done with you.”

I immediately tried to pull away, but her strength was unnatural. I couldn’t break free from her steel grip. “L-Let me go!” I shouted. “You said you’d take me to him!”

“It’s easy to tell a lie,” she said. “It’s harder to tell the truth."

As I tried pulling away, she continued walking, simply dragging me. I struggled harder than I had ever struggled before, but Ophelia had strength I simply wasn’t able to outdo. It wasn’t long before she had me in a small laboratory, a large machine similar to the cryopod I had once been in sitting in the corner.

I couldn’t do it again.

“P-Please, don’t!” I said. “This can’t be happening! You can’t put me in there! Not again! I want my brother!”

She walked over to the cryopod, ignoring my pleas.

 _“I’ll do anything!”_ I begged. _“Please, don’t take him away from me! I can’t go in there! I’ll do whatever you want! Anything but this!”_

“Quiet, girl,” she coldly commanded, lifting me up, her hands gripping my arms as she wrestled me into the open pod. _“This is for your own good, and for your brother’s good as well.”_

I stared up at her ice-cold gaze, hot tears running down my cheeks. _“P-Please, don’t… I want my brother… I want my brother!_ **_I want my brother!_ ** _”_

She stared down at me as she strapped me in, flexible metallic bindings keeping me from moving. _“I’m sorry,”_ she whispered. _“You’ll just get in the way of progress. You’re more useful to us like this.”_

I screamed out as loud as I could as the glass cover closed on me. I tried to move my whole body, squirming in a pathetic attempt to escape. _“Let me out! PLEASE!!!_ **_NEM-NEM, HELP ME!!!_ ** _”_

I felt the machine buzz, a cold gas filling the space. I had finally stopped screaming, simply staring out through the glass cover, tears blurring my vision. I had failed. I couldn’t get to my brother. I was so stupid, naive, blind. I trusted Henry, and he had betrayed me.

And then, just when I thought it was all over, as the gas began to make me tired, I heard muffled screams from outside the pod. I blacked out, only to reawaken in someone’s grip. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a familiar fancy vest taking up most of my vision.

Gently stirring, I looked up, seeing Annaki-brand shades looking back at me.

“B-Bryson,” I whimpered, the gas still present in my system.

“Just stay quiet, Amelia,” he said. “You’re lucky I stay up late.”

After a few minutes, I grew a bit more active, eventually able to get up on my own. Looking around, the laboratory was a complete mess. Bryson had splattered pink ink everywhere with his umbrella.

“Wh-Where’s Ophelia?” I muttered.

“That octoling?” he asked. “She ran off before I could splat her, but I did give her a good beatdown.”

“H-How are we gonna get out alive?” I asked.

Bryson smirked. “Already got that covered.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he grabbed my hand and rushed out with me, keeping me close and behind his umbrella as he blasted down anyone who got in our way. There were moments when he had to ditch me, but I was able to dodge shots on my own, even if I didn’t really need to due to my unsplattability.

His speed, his reflexes, all scared me as he showed tenacity unlike any other squid I had ever seen. What worried me was the fact that he wasn’t tied to a spawn point. If he was splatted, he couldn’t come back. He’d be permanently gone.

Yet he continued onward, dodging, deflecting, charging back, showing no mercy to any of the octolings in the facility. I was a little worried, wondering if any of these octolings were tied to a spawn point. If I had a weapon, my conscience would’ve kept me from firing, even if they were to have tried harming me. I couldn’t die here, but they could.

It wasn’t long until we were back outside, having finally escaped, but it wasn’t over.

_Henry was here._

He walked up to us, his motorcycle helmet on as always. “You nearly killed Ophelia,” he said, a dynamo roller materializing in one hand as he raised his arm. How he was able to hold it astounded me, as these were _massive, heavy_ weapons. There was no way any normal human could hold one up like that, even with _two_ hands.

“She tried to make Amelia a frozen _fishstick_ ,” growled Bryson. _“Tell me why I shouldn’t end your life right here and right now?”_

Henry chuckled. “There’s no reason you shouldn’t. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t end _yours_ , either. It comes down to survival of the fittest.”

Bryson screamed and rushed him, and as he fired from his umbrella, I was shocked to see Henry sidestep so quickly, twirling and swinging that massive dynamo roller straight into Bryson’s back and sending the squid skidding across the rocky ground. I charged, tackling Henry, succeeding in doing so, as he didn’t seem to have expected me to break my pacifistic nature.

I tried to tear his helmet off, wanting desperately to punch him right in his probably-smug face. He wasn’t letting me do so. With strength like Ophelia’s, he simply knee’d my stomach, forcing the breath right out of me.

Rolling me aside, he stood up. “Stupid girl. I could’ve talked to Ophelia. You could’ve gotten your brother back, but now you’ve messed up _big time_.”

I coughed, sitting up, but I felt another kick to my side, sending me back into the dirt. I was going to suffer here, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. I got up again. That was a big mistake, however, as he grabbed me and tossed me back against the ground with such force that I felt excruciating pain.

 _“STAY DOWN!”_ he ordered. _“You’re lucky I’m going easy on you! You think you’re going to just_ **_leave_ ** _this place?!”_

I was dizzy. There was no way this wasn’t going to leave damage on my body. “Y-You lied,” I sputtered. “You said you’d take me to him!”

 _“I didn’t lie,”_ he said. “I said I’d _take you to Octo Valley_ , and I _did_ . You’re an _idiot_ for misinterpreting my words.”

My breathing was ragged. “M-Maybe I am. I guess I was desperate,” I replied. He stared at me through his visor. I couldn’t tell what his expression was, but I kept going. “I just wanted him back. I was really stupid, yeah. W-Wouldn’t you do the same thing if Ophelia was missing?”

As Henry approached me, I curled up, trying to cover up my stomach. I didn’t want to be kicked again. Before he could reach me, Bryson did, stumbling over and getting on his knees, opening his umbrella up as a shield.

“He won’t listen, Amelia,” said Bryson. “None of them do. They’re octolings. _They don’t change. They never do, and they never will._ ”

Henry looked down at us, a pathetic duo prepared to be taken out of commission. Looking up, he simply said, “It’s about to rain.”

As soon as he said this, Bryson raised his umbrella over both himself and I, the droplets coming down hard. I was worried that Henry would take advantage of this, but he didn’t. Before the rain could do too much damage to him, he walked away, heading towards the entrance to the base. Looking back at us, he said before heading inside, “The next time we meet, I won’t be so forgiving.”

Why he had decided to use this as an excuse to let us live, I didn’t know. Perhaps it was pity. Maybe it was just a softhearted nature hiding behind the disguise of a cold-blooded persona? I didn’t care at this point. I just wanted to go home. Bryson was probably freezing, and he had come all this way just to risk his life to save me.

Bryson attempted to walk towards the entrance, but I grabbed his hand. When he looked back at me, I shook my head, and he just looked at me, as if debating with himself. He eventually just took my hand tightly in his and we walked back to Inkopolis, with both of us shivering along the way.

“Why would you risk your life to save me?” I asked, my teeth chattering in the cold as we entered the city.

“Y-You kidding?” he responded, his teeth doing the same. “W-We st-st-stick t-t-together, _n-n-noob_ …”

When we reached the Annaki company building, he insisted that I stayed the night. He didn’t want me going out in the rain, even if I was a human and couldn’t be harmed by it. When we reached the top floor and entered his residence, he removed his hat and glasses, tossing them onto a small table by the door.

His blue eyes looked around, glowing brightly. Looking at me, he gestured to the couch. “You okay with this?” he asked. I nodded, walking over and sitting down on it.

As I sighed, disappointed, my thoughts went back to Octo Valley. My brother was there. They had said it themselves. I had no way of getting in there on my own, and because of my own inability to bargain properly, I had almost been put back into cryogenic sleep.

In order to get in, I’d need either Bryson’s tenacity or an entire army on my side. I couldn’t bring Bryson in with me. He was more at risk of being splatted permanently than I was, as their weapons couldn’t work on me. As for Henry, however…

Henry was a different beast altogether. His strength was unnatural to the point where he didn’t _need_ a weapon to kill me. He could simply do it with his bare hands, and he knew it. If I wanted to get to my brother, Henry was one of the biggest obstacles, and so was this “Ophelia” person.

I clenched my fists in anger. It wasn’t _fair_ . These octolings, they were… keeping me from the blood I had left. I grinded my teeth, my breathing becoming shallow. It was enough to make me want to scream. I just wanted one shot. _One shot_ at Henry. It was all _his_ fault.

My anger was suddenly interrupted as Bryson tossed a blanket at me, the folded wad hitting the side of my head. I was a little annoyed, but… I couldn’t be mad at him. My anger was directed towards the _real_ enemy. I sank a little further back against the couch, folding my hands, trying to find some form of control by breathing.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled, stress leaving me bit by bit with each repeat. Eventually I had calmed down and was simply apathetic. Looking at Bryson, I said to him, “You saved my life back there.”

Bryson rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, what was I supposed to do, just let you die?”

I smiled, and for a small instant, he smiled softly back. I felt that he had finally managed to warm up to me, and I was grateful for that. The very fact that he had come to save me by himself was… amazing. He was really something else.

“I just didn’t expect you out of the others, really,” I admitted. “I was expecting--”

 _“Ace?”_ he finished, looking unamused.

I felt blood running to my cheeks, making me blush. “I, um…”

“Well, maybe Ace isn’t the best person to depend on all the time,” said Bryson.

I was a little embarrassed. “H-How did you…?”

“I pay attention,” said Bryson. “Like… I notice things. I notice lots of things, and I’m pretty good at piecing things together. I’m not dumb.”

I leaned even further back into the couch, my cheeks very red. “I didn’t know you knew…”

Bryson walked over and sat next to me, his hands folded in his lap. “Yeah…”

“How long?” I asked.

“Since we started Splatfest,” he clarified. “I’ve noticed your cheeks and stuff. They get red whenever you’re looking at him and stuff. My older brother does it when he’s with his girlfriend, so… yeah, I can see this stuff and tell.”

“And you never said anything?” I asked.

“Why would I?” he replied. “It’s not like I get anything out of it. Not like I get some high out of embarrassing people. That’s dumb.”

Now I was curious. “Do you know if he, um…”

Bryson lightly tapped his fingers together. “I… yeah,” he said, sounding hesitant. “He, um, has been talkin’ about ya and stuff over text lately.”

My heart leapt. I was excited, ecstatic. I knew his feelings for me now. “Oh, my gosh!” I said, my hands to my chest. I was having trouble breathing. How would I approach him? _Should_ I approach him? Would he approach me first?

Bryson’s eyes seemed… empty, and for that moment, I felt something wrong. “He’s been pretty psyched about it…”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my nerves getting uneasy.

Bryson simply stood up, saying, “ _It’s nothing_. Just doesn’t know how to tell you. I’ve been trying to help him. He’s clueless, though, so don’t expect him to try anything for a while.”

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He nodded. “Y-Yeah, just don’t worry about it.”

He wasn’t okay, and I could tell from his voice. My brain tried to look for some kind of explanation, _any_ kind of explanation that made sense, but… I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. There was something Bryson wasn’t telling me, but if I wanted to figure out what it was, I’d have to do some pushing.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” I said.

“It’s none of your business,” he said. “Go to sleep.”

“You’re willing to save me, but you’re not willing to tell me what’s wrong?” I asked. “C’mon, Bryson.”

Bryson looked at me with an annoyed glare, his fangs bared. “You’re getting on my nerves, Amelia.”

I stood up and walked up to him, displaying an annoyed look of my own. “Aren’t we supposed to trust each other? Aren’t we supposed to be friends?”

Crossing his arms, he turned his head away from me. Chewing on his lower lip, he had a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. “Amelia…”

“You just _saved_ me,” I pointed out. “Obviously, you cared enough about me! Well, I’m willing to at least do this for you! I’m willing to at least _listen_.”

“You wouldn’t want to hear it,” he said. “You don’t need to because it would only ruin things.”

“Please…?” I asked. “Let me do this for you.”

Bryson groaned, defeat in his voice. Sitting down on the couch, he motioned to the other side, where I sat down to listen. He looked at me, his serious blue eyes making me a little tense. He then finally said, “I’m just going through a dumb thing is all.”

“Please, explain?” I asked.

Bryson looked down, avoiding any chance of our gazes catching each other. “Ace and I have been friends for a long time. We agree on everything most of the time, and I’m always helping him out. He’s pretty much a brother to me.”

“And what’s the problem?” I asked.

Bryson looked at me. “Look, can we _not_ talk about this?”

“We need to,” I said, determined to help.

“ _Ugh_ … You’re annoying,” he said. “Fine, you know what? I’m just gonna say it, and maybe you’ll take a _hint_ and leave it alone.”

I watched him carefully, expecting him to continue.

“...I like you, alright?!” he blurted out.

…

…

…

_Oh, my cod._

“W-Wait,” I stammered. “But you’re always so…”

“That’s just how I am,” he said. “I have _pride_. I’m not just going to give anything about me away. Just… don’t worry about it,” he said.

I wasn’t expecting this at all. I didn’t think it was _possible_ . Bryson was also so pushy, so rude, and he had _feelings_ for me? How was I supposed to handle this? How was I supposed to take this at all? This was like… I didn’t even have a comparison for this circumstance.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered to myself. Bryson looked at me with a very serious gaze. Looking back at him, I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me? When did it start? What happened?”

Bryson leaned back into the couch cushions, looking at the television, even though it was turned off. “Happened around your confession,” he said. “Ace and I were really impressed by your willingness to keep going, even though you could die. When I first saw you, I thought you were just some stupid noob.”

“And you didn’t talk about this with Ace?” I questioned.

“I did,” Bryson replied. “Ace expressed an interest in you, too, but he’s no good with girls, so I had to pester him to ask you to the movies. I owed him, so it doesn’t matter. I want him to be happy, because he’s done a lot for me, a lot more than I could ever do for him, so… don’t _worry_ about me and just tell him how you feel.”

Bryson stood up from the couch and began to walk away towards the hallway to his room. Before he went out of sight, he looked back at me and said, “Seriously, he’s helpless. You need to approach him first. I’ll find someone else. I promise I’ll be fine. And don’t expect me to change how I act just because I told you this, _noob_.”

A prideful smirk spread across his face a little ways just as he turned, leaving me alone.

I was puzzled, having had no idea that Bryson had these feelings towards me. As of now, I didn’t know what to do. They both liked me, but Bryson was willing to give that up for his best friend, and I found that unbelievable. I didn’t know their friendship was _that deep_.

And now that Bryson had made up his mind, I had Ace as my only option, and according to Bryson, Ace wasn’t good at engaging with girls, and if I wanted it to move forward, I needed to let him know, too.

Bryson was… selfless, and because of that, I felt my heart ache, and I didn’t know why, since I had never had any initial feelings towards him in the first place. This was so confusing, and I was worried that I might make the wrong decision.

I needed Nem-Nem’s help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have
> 
> h i g h c h o l e s t o r o l
> 
> lol.
> 
> I'm on an exercise schedule now, and I gotta watch what I eat. Been doing a regular routine since then. Sure, it keeps me from writing for a bit, but it's worth it to keep healthy. Don't wanna die before this thing is finished. This story is probably one of the only things I can leave behind that's worth remembering me by.


End file.
